Department for Transport

Cycleways: Construction

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what target the Department has set for the construction of segregated cycle routes; and whether the metric for that target will be miles or kilometres.

Michael Ellis: The Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy has an aim to double cycling by 2025 but has not set targets for the construction of segregated cycle routes.

Heathrow Airport: Railways

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the projected cost to the public purse of the proposed Western Rail Link to Heathrow Airport.

Andrew Jones: Government policy is for developers to pay the costs of upgrading or enhancing road, rail or other transport networks or services where there is a need to cope with additional passengers travelling to and from expanded or growing airports. Where the scheme has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government will consider, along with other relevant stakeholders, the need for additional public funding on a case-by-case basis. The Western Rail Link to Heathrow is being promoted by Network Rail and is expected to benefit both airport and non-airport users. The scheme must demonstrate a satisfactory business case; with the cost to the public purse being a factor. The Department and Network Rail are engaged with Heathrow Airport Limited, the Civil Aviation Authority and Her Majesty’s Treasury on this issue and to comment further would prejudice the department’s commercial position.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to ensure a uniform method for electric car drivers to access public charging points.

Michael Ellis: Our vision is to have one of the best electric vehicle infrastructure networks in the world. This means current and prospective electric vehicle drivers are able to easily locate and access charging infrastructure that is affordable, reliable and secure. A better consumer experience of using public chargepoints is central to this vision. The Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulations requires that all public chargepoints provide ad-hoc access which means EV drivers can charge at any chargepoint without having to enter into a contract with an infrastructure operator nor be in the possession of multiple RFID cards. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act goes further by providing the government with a range of powers to improve the charging experience for current and future including the powers to specify a uniform method of payment. The Government continues to monitor market developments closely. If the market fails to continue to deliver further improvements across the entire network or takes too long, the Government is prepared to intervene using the powers in the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act to ensure a good deal for consumers.

Tyres: Safety

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the re-sale of illegal second-hand automobile tyres; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The Government is committed to improving road safety, and ensuring the ongoing compliance of vehicles with safety regulations is important to reducing collisions and casualties. The sale of part worn tyres is regulated by the Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994. Trading Standards has responsibility for enforcing these regulations and upon successful prosecution for failure to comply with the requirements, magistrates’ courts can impose penalties of up to 6-months imprisonment or an unlimited fine in England and Wales (or up to £5000 in Scotland and Northern Ireland).

Cycling and Walking: Infrastructure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on national minimum standards for (a) walking and (b) cycling infrastructure.

Michael Ellis: The Department’s Local Transport Note 2/08 ‘Cycle Infrastructure Design’ provides guidance regarding minimum standards for walking and cycling infrastructure. The Department is currently in the process of updating this national guidance and will publish the updated guidance in due course.Local authorities are responsible for setting their own design standards. The Government has no plans to legislate for minimum standards for cycling and walking infrastructure.

HM Coastguard: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether projected staffing level figures for the HM Coastguard national network for this summer 2019 period meet the minimum levels to function effectively as recommended in 1.9.3 of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch accident report of December 2018 – Solstice (PH199).

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HM Coastguard has implemented measures following the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch report of December 2018 and projected staffing levels for the HM Coastguard national network for this summer 2019 period meet the minimum levels to function effectively.

Cycling: Safety

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for cyclists.

Michael Ellis: In November, the Government published its response to the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS): safety review call for evidence. The response sets out a vision and a two-year plan containing 50 actions to tackle cycling, walking and horse riding safety. The action plan will help deliver the Government’s commitment to increase cycling and walking and make our roads safer for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

Taxis: Licensing

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Answers of 2 February 2019, 12 March 2019, 14 March 2019, 7 May 2019 and 9 May 2019 to Questions 252470, 251220, 232503, 231454 and 220057 on taxis: licensing, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals on taxi and private hire.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answers to the questions he has referenced.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Pay

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pusuant to the Answers of 5 June 2019 to Questions 257798 and 257799, and in the format of the Answer of 11 April 2019 to Question 241458, what proportion of jobs in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire, (c) South Yorkshire and (c) Barnsley are paid the (i) National Living Wage and (ii) National Minimum Wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 June 2019.The correct answer should have been:

Through the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW), the Government ensures that the lowest paid in our society are fairly rewarded for their work. April 2019’s increase to the NLW will see nearly 1.8 million workers in the UK receive a 4.9% pay rise. A full-time worker on the NLW will now be more than £2,750 better off over the year compared to when it was first announced in 2015. The table below provides estimates for the number and proportion of jobs in the UK and Yorkshire and the Humber on the NLW and NMW in 2019. The most recent available data for Barnsley, and South Yorkshire, shows that there were an estimated 5,500 workers and 47,200 workers respectively who were on the NLW or NMW.National Living WageNational Minimum WageNumber of jobs% of jobsNumber of jobs% of jobsUK1,762,0007.2%341,0009.8%Yorkshire and the Humber172,0008.8%36,00012.0%

Kelly Tolhurst: Through the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW), the Government ensures that the lowest paid in our society are fairly rewarded for their work. April 2019’s increase to the NLW will see nearly 1.8 million workers in the UK receive a 4.9% pay rise. A full-time worker on the NLW will now be more than £2,750 better off over the year compared to when it was first announced in 2015. The table below provides estimates for the number and proportion of jobs in the UK and Yorkshire and the Humber on the NLW and NMW in 2019. The most recent available data for Barnsley, and South Yorkshire, shows that there were an estimated 5,500 workers and 47,200 workers respectively who were on the NLW or NMW.National Living WageNational Minimum WageNumber of jobs% of jobsNumber of jobs% of jobsUK1,762,0007.2%341,0009.8%Yorkshire and the Humber172,0008.8%36,00012.0%

Government Departments: Climate Change

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment each Department makes of the implications for climate change when making policy decisions.

Chris Skidmore: Government departments undertake a policy impact assessment when developing new legislation. Where relevant, impact assessments include consideration of how a policy may decrease or increase greenhouse gas emissions. This is reflected in our strong progress on climate change – we have reduced emissions by 42% since 1990, while growing our economy by two thirds, and transformed our power sector with over half of our electricity now coming from low carbon generation.

Electric Vehicles: Vans

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is undertaking with industry to support the production of electric vans in the UK.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government’s mission is to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. There are a number of manufacturers already producing vans in the UK or with ambitious plans to begin production in coming years. The Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) offers a comprehensive package of support for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs). This will see nearly £1.5bn invested in total over the period 2015-2021. In order to ensure the development of new technologies happens in the UK, OLEV has awarded over £300m in grants via Innovate UK, supporting vehicle manufacturers, technology companies and academia in delivering a major programme of R&D into ULEVs, including vans. In order to incentivise the purchase of ULEV vans, grant funding has been available since 2012. The plug-in van grant provides 20% of the price of a qualifying vehicle to a maximum grant amount of £8,000, or £20,000 for the first 200 large vans (3.5t+) or trucks, and will be available in some form until at least 2020. Our grant funding for chargepoint infrastructure in homes, at workplaces and on residential streets, as well as the upcoming Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund, all support charging infrastructure for ultra-low emission vans. In order to aggregate demand for these vans, Government has focused on the biggest fleets. Working with environmental NGO Global Action Plan, 27 of the UK’s largest van fleet operators have joined the Clean Van Commitment committing to transition their total fleet of 65,000 vans to electric by 2028. Again, to support demand, we have legislated to increase the weight allowance for certain alternatively fuelled vans that drivers can drive on a standard Category B driving licence. This is designed to mitigate the additional weight alternatively fuelled power trains can add and avoid the payload of vans being affected.

Zero-hours Contracts

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that people employed on zero-hours contracts are able to take advantage of employment rights which are gained after a period of qualifying service.

Kelly Tolhurst: An individual’s eligibility for statutory employment protections in the UK is determined by their employment status and not the type of work they do, or label given to the arrangement. Individuals who are on a zero hours contract, part-time contract, or any other type of flexible arrangement can still be eligible for the same statutory employment rights as any permanent, full-time individual if they are doing the same work. The latest figures show that the proportion of people on zero hours contracts remains small (2.6 per cent of the labour force). The number of people reporting being employed on a zero hours contract is 57,000 fewer than for a year earlier.

Post Office: Corporate Hospitality

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Question 257663, what the total cost was of the hospitality received from Post Office Ltd to his Department.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.Pursuant to Question 257663, the total cost of the hospitality received from Post Office Ltd over the twelve-month period was £742.84.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261273, what the outcomes of the HMRC investigations that were completed but did not result in employers being found non-compliant were.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 19 June 2019



HMRC may open an investigation into an employer’s compliance with National Minimum Wage law either following a worker complaint or via proactive risk-based enforcement activity. Where HMRC find no minimum wage arrears are due, they will not take enforcement action such as issuing a Notice of Underpayment and financial penalty. Where HMRC find that arrears are due to workers they will generally issue a Notice of Underpayment and financial penalty. In some cases, employers may be allowed to carry out self-correction action which ensures that workers are paid the money due to them without the issue of a Notice of Underpayment. Overall, in 2018/19 HMRC found arrears in 45% of cases they closed; this “strike rate” has increased year-on year since the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016. This information will be covered in more detail in BEIS’ Minimum Wage Enforcement and Compliance report, which we will publish in due course.

Offshore Industry: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support the Government is providing to assist skilled offshore oil and gas workers who were made redundant after the collapse in oil prices in 2014 with the cost of re-validating basic industry certification which expired during a period of unemployment.

Chris Skidmore: The Government remains committed to the long-term future of the UK’s oil and gas sector, which supports over 280,000 jobs and has been one of our great industrial success stories over the past 50 years. We have provided the sector with unprecedent levels of support during the industry downturn, placing the UK Continental Shelf amongst the most competitive fiscal regimes in the world in order to attract investment and secure jobs. The Department has not provided any specific support for skilled workers who were made redundant from the offshore oil and gas sector and who are seeking to re-validate expired industry certification.

Offshore Industry: Conditions of Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to protect (a) employment and (b) skills in the North Sea drilling industry since January 2015.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is committed to the long-term future of the oil and gas sector which supports over 280,000 jobs and has been one of our great industrial success stories over the past 50 years. In 2015, the Government established the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), which works hard to attract investment and jobs, helping to anchor valuable skills and expertise in the UK, and prioritises revitalising offshore exploration. In recent years, the Government has provided unprecedented levels of support to the offshore oil and gas sector to encourage investment in the sector and support jobs, placing the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) amongst the most competitive fiscal regimes in the world. Work is ongoing to ensure the fiscal and regulatory regime is appropriate to support the UKCS and ensure the basin remains open for business.

Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason he decided to issue a recall notice to Whirlpool in relation to that company's tumble driers; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Whirlpool Corporation: Standards

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Office for Product Safety and Standards inquiry into Whirlpool; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is committed to ensuring the safety of consumers. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was tasked with reviewing the effectiveness of Whirlpool’s technical modification and the adequacy of its consumer outreach programme, and that review was published on 4th April. The review focussed on an engineering assessment of Whirlpool tumble dryers and expert analysis of data including fire and incident data from Fire and Rescue Services, Which? and Whirlpool. It also reviewed whether Whirlpool’s consumer outreach programme was adequate. The OPSS review was conducted by scientific, legal and product safety experts including input from the Government’s Health and Safety Laboratory and it was reviewed by the BEIS Chief Scientific Advisor. I am satisfied that the review was robust and thorough.

Restaurants: Gratuities

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that restaurants are prevented from making deductions from money left for staff by diners.

Kelly Tolhurst: Through the Good Work Plan we have committed to legislate on a range of areas to enhance workers’ rights, including to ensure that all tips left to workers go to them in full. We expect over a million workers to benefit, many of whom are in low-paid jobs. Consumers will have reassurance that the money they leave in good faith is going to the staff, as they intended. We have been working closely with stakeholders and across Government to prepare this legislation, and will lay measures to implement the Good Work Plan in Parliament as soon as possible. The Good Work Plan set out an ambitious programme to take forward 51 of the 53 recommendations made in the Taylor Review. We have already implemented key commitments, with Parliament recently passing secondary legislation we brought forward to increase workers’ rights and protections, and improve transparency for workers, from day one.

Solar Power: Housing

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the affordability of household solar panels.

Chris Skidmore: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Minimum Wage

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2019 to Question 263213 on Conditions of Employment, whether the employers subject to labour market enforcement undertakings for non-payment of the national minimum wage will be considered for naming when the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme resumes.

Kelly Tolhurst: Enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is a priority for the Government. We have more than doubled the budget for NMW compliance and enforcement since 2015, to a record high of £27.4 million. The 2018/19 financial year was a record year for NMW enforcement; HMRC identified £24.4 million in arrears across 3,018 cases – a record number since the introduction of the National Living Wage in 2016. In line with the published NMW enforcement policy, any employer who have been issued a Notice of Underpayment resulting from a breach of National Minimum Wage law will be considered for naming under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme. This applies regardless of whether the employer is also subject to a Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking or Order.

AQUIND interconnector

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government's policy is on an application from Aquind to join the list of projects of common interest for an interconnector project.

Chris Skidmore: The Aquind interconnector project was included on the third EU list of projects of common interest, published in November 2017, and the Government supported the application of the project at that time. Selection of the fourth PCI list is ongoing, and the Government is currently considering its position on all candidate projects, including the Aquind interconnector.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Mark Field: ​Details on the UK Statistics Authority's interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website since 2010.The Authority's Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority's website[4].In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.

Christianity: Oppression

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the persecution of Christians abroad.

Mark Field: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief as a universal human right which should be enjoyed by everyone. The UK regularly raises this issue with governments across the world, through our diplomatic network and at the Human Rights Council, and the UK funds and supports projects that promote respect for all people of different faiths and none. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon regularly raises this subject with his international counterparts. The Foreign Secretary launched an independent Review of FCO support for persecuted Christians on 30 January. The Review is led by the Bishop of Truro. It will map levels of persecution and discrimination against Christians around the world, and provide robust recommendations on how the FCO can respond. The Bishop submitted his interim report in May and will submit his final report in Summer.

Armed Conflict

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the UN to prioritise the protection of (a) people with disabilities and (b) older people in conflict zones.

Mark Field: The British Government has been a leader in developing policies and practical action to promote the Protection of Civilians within the UN system. The Government is updating its Protection of Civilians Strategy to ensure that it is fit for purpose in the context of modern conflict, and comprehensive in addressing the situation of children and other particularly vulnerable people such as people with disabilities and older people in conflict zones. As part of that commitment the Government is working with the Polish Government to introduce a new UN Security Council Resolution specifically addressing the needs of the disabled in armed conflict within the broader protection of civilians resolutions that have already been agreed. The Government expects that Resolution to be passed before the end of June 2019.

Hong Kong: Demonstrations

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent protests in Hong Kong.

Mark Field: The recent protests demonstrate the strength of feeling among the people of Hong Kong about proposed changes to Hong Kong's extradition laws, and the importance they attach to the preservation of the rights and freedoms and high degree of autonomy guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong's Basic Law.The protests have been largely peaceful, although the violence that occurred on 12 June is a cause for serious concern. All allegations of inappropriate use of force by the Hong Kong police should of course be fully investigated by the Hong Kong SAR Government.

Hong Kong: Extradition

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for human rights in Hong Kong of the proposed new Chinese extradition law that would allow criminal suspects in Hong Kong to be sent for trial in mainland China.

Mark Field: In a statement to the House on 13 June, I set out in detail our assessment of the implications for human rights of the proposed changes to its extradition legislation and the recent protests in Hong Kong. This included our belief that, if enacted, the proposals could pose a risk to the rights and freedoms and high degree of autonomy guaranteed by the Sino-British Joint Declaration.We welcome the Chief Executive's statement on 18 June that she would not proceed with the second reading of the Bill if the fears and anxieties of the people of Hong Kong were not addressed.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he was informed that there was dissent among Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) team members on 14 March 2019 when the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council voted down a proposal to allow all FFM team members to brief the OPCW Executive Council on the FFM investigation of an alleged chemical  weapons attack in Douma in 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: Ministers receive regular and frequent advice on Syria, including the use of chemical weapons by the Asad regime. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) published on 1 March 2019 the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) report into the chemical weapons attacks in Douma. The FFM conducted a full briefing of States Parties on 5 March. The Director General of the OPCW offered all States Parties the opportunity to submit further questions in writing; and to have technical discussions with the FFM. At the Executive Council on 14 March, the Russian delegation proposed without prior notice a vote on an FFM briefing to State Parties. The UK voted against holding a vote on this issue, as did a clear majority of Executive Council members. The Director General OPCW has confirmed that all evidence and views were taken into consideration in preparing the FFM report; and that the Technical Secretariat stands by the findings. These are: that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a toxic chemical, likely molecular chlorine, was used as a weapon in Douma on 7 April 2018. This is a clear breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The UK has confidence in the FFM's investigation and the conclusions of its report.

Syria: Chemical Weapons

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he instructed the UK's permanent representative on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council to vote against a proposal to allow all Fact Finding Mission (FFM) team members to brief the OPCW Executive Council on the FFM investigation into the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma in 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 14 March 2019 the UK and a clear majority of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council members voted against holding a vote on a Russian proposal on the handling of a briefing by the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM). The vote was called without prior notice. Instructions to the UK Delegation to the OPCW issued in line with normal procedures. The FFM briefed States Parties on 5 March on the findings of the Douma report and regular briefings are held, most recently on 28 May, on the OPCW's work in Syria. We continue to have confidence in both our own and the FFM conclusions into the chemical weapons attack in Douma on 7 April 2018.

Attorney General

Randox Testing Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Attorney General, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of cases of forensic manipulation at Randox that resulted in a conviction being overturned; and in how many of those cases had a custodial sentence already been served.

Lucy Frazer: There is an ongoing investigation into data manipulation at Randox Testing Services. The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to support this process to ensure that fairness and transparency in the system is maintained. The Crown Prosecution Service can only comment on cases that it is responsible for prosecuting. For the cases which it prosecutes, the Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the number of cases of forensic manipulation at Randox that resulted in a conviction being overturned or a record of how many of those cases involved a custodial sentence. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Finance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish the allocation of spending under the heading NHS Providers capital net expenditure.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish the allocation of spending under the heading DHSC Programme and Admin capital expenditure.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish the allocation of spending under the heading Health Education England capital net.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish the allocation of capital spending under the heading Special Health Authorities expenditure.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish the allocation of capital spending under the heading Non Departmental Public Bodies net expenditure.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish the allocation of spending under the heading Non Departmental Public Bodies capital net expenditure.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the table headed Spending in Departmental Expenditure Limits on page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20: Main Supply Estimates, published in May 2019, if he will publish capital spending allocation under the heading Arm’s Length and Other Bodies (Capital Net).

Stephen Hammond: The figures contained within page 129 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2019-20 show details of the planned resource and capital budgets for each sector of the Department of Health and Social Care, available at the time of production.Details of each departmental body’s spending plans will be published in their individual Business Plans.The Department prepares a Memorandum which is published by the Health and Social Care Committee, this provides further information on the Main Estimates publication. The Memorandum is prepared in accordance with the guidance issued by Parliamentary Scrutiny Unit and can be found at:https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/scrutinyunit/reports-and-publications/main-estimates-2019-20/

Mental Health Services: Nurses

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health nurses there were in NHS in England in each year since 2009.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many mental health nurses worked for Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation Trust in each year since 2013.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics for England. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care, local authorities or other providers.The following table shows the number of nurses trained in mental health who work in NHS trusts and CCGs in England and in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, as at September each year and latest available data, full time employees.  Mental health nurses in NHS Trusts and CCGsMental health nurses in Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation TrustSeptember 200940,607-September 201040,247-September 201139,024-September 201238,135-September 201337,3961,164September 201436,5811,171September 201535,6711,050September 201635,4871,038September 201735,3901,001September 201835,835990February 201936,2901,025Source: NHS Digital workforce statistics The Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care asked Baroness Dido Harding to develop a Workforce Implementation Plan for the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Interim NHS People Plan was published on 3 June 2019 with the full Plan expected later in the year. The Interim NHS People Plan recognises that urgent action must be taken to increase the numbers of mental health nurses and develop accredited multidisciplinary credentials for those working in mental health. The NHS is committed to promoting and widening access to rewarding career options in mental health, through a number of initiatives, including an accelerated postgraduate nurse programme for mental health and learning disabilities, and a Retention Programme to address clinical turnover rates in mental health trusts.

Mental Health Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the provision of community mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to expanding access to community-based mental health services over the next five years.Under the NHS Long Term Plan, a new community-based offer will include access to psychological therapies, improved physical health care, employment support, personalised and trauma-informed care, medicines management and support for self-harm and coexisting substance use. This includes maintaining and developing new services for people who have the most complex needs and proactive work to address racial disparities.The NHS Long Term Plan also commits to new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care and will give 370,000 adults and older adults with severe mental illnesses greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities by 2023/24.

NHS: Finance

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS providers in deficit.

Stephen Hammond: The Government is supporting the National Health Service to achieve its Long Term Plan by raising spending on health by £33.9 billion by 2023-24, and as a condition of funding has set five financial tests for the NHS: test 1 commits that the NHS (including providers) will return to financial balance.In the short term, the Department will continue to support providers through the Provider Financing facility while organisations get to grips with their financial challenges and develop robust recovery plans. The Department is also reviewing options for debt restructuring to support provider recovery plans.The NHS has set out its own strategy for the next five years in the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England and NHS Improvement will work with local organisations and regional leaders to develop the right operational plans to deliver that strategy, including supporting the NHS to deliver overall financial balance in every year and for individual NHS organisations to all be in balance by 2023-24. There is a commitment to deliver a significant reduction in the number of providers in deficit in 2019-20.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce waiting-time targets for access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to reducing waiting times for children and young people with mental ill health.Following the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, in 2016 we introduced two waiting time standards. The first aims for 95% of children (up to 19 years old) with eating disorders to receive treatment within a week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases. The second is that 50% of patients experiencing a first episode of psychosis receive treatment within two weeks of referral.In the Children and Young People’s Green Paper published jointly with the Department for Education, we also announced a four week waiting time to improve access to National Health Service mental health services, which we are rolling out in a number of trailblazer areas as a pilot, alongside the new mental health support teams, with a view to rolling out waiting times nationally.The NHS Long Term Plan goes further with the goal of an extra 345,000 children and young people aged 0 -25 receiving support via NHS-funded mental health services by 2023/24. This includes a one hour target for young people arriving in accident and emergency experiencing a mental health crisis to be given an assessment.

Abortion

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women who self referred for an abortion in a (a) British Pregnancy Advisory Service and (b) Marie Stopes International clinic were certified for abortion by two doctors whilst in that clinic in the last 12 months for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Abortion

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been referred for an abortion by a GP in each of the last five years.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have self-referred for an abortion in (a) a British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic and (b) a Marie Stopes International clinic in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which topics have been identified for inclusion in the upcoming review of the appraisal methods used by NICE.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for NICE's Methods review.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether changes to NICE’s appraisal methods identified during the NICE Methods review will be cost-neutral.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria was used by NICE to determine which patient organisations were offered membership of the NICE Methods Working Group.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what opportunities there will be for patient groups that are not part of the NICE Methods Working Group to take part in the task and finish groups.

Seema Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for the methods and processes used in the development of its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies recommendations. NICE has now initiated the review of its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies methods in line with the commitment made in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access. The Voluntary Scheme states that industry and other relevant stakeholders will be active participants in the review, including inputting on scope, participating in working discussions, and providing views on recommendations. NICE’s updated methods guide will also be subject to a public consultation. NICE has established a working group, consisting of members from NICE, NHS England, the Department, patient organisations and the life sciences industry. The working group reports to a steering group, chaired by NICE and with members from NHS England, the Department, and an independent academic methodologist. The steering group will present its recommendations to NICE’s Senior Management Team, which in turn will report to the NICE Board. NICE approached patient groups with experience of NICE and its processes and methods. There are three patient group representatives on the working group with a wide range of experience, covering a range of topic areas, reflecting the programmes under review. Membership of the working group will be published in due course. NICE is now in the process of scoping the review of the methods for technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies evaluations with input from the working group and steering group. The scope of the review - a list of the aspects of NICE’s current methods that will be considered in the review - will be presented to the NICE Board in July. Additional detail and more information will be made available on the NICE website in due course. NICE anticipates being in a position to confirm the revised methods guide by the end of 2020, following public consultation.

Department of Health and Social Care: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence1, publications2, and issues log3 sections of their website since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website4. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/185. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn. Notes:1https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/2https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/3https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/4https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/5https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Department of Health and Social Care: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Caroline Dinenage: For the period 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser seven times.

Income Support

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to increase the Minimum Income Guarantee.

Caroline Dinenage: The financial allowances including the minimum income guarantee rates are reviewed annually.Social care funding for future years will be settled in the spending review, where the overall approach to funding local government will be considered in the round.

Infectious Diseases: Fungi

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the risks to patient health posed by fungal infections; and what steps he is taking to tackle those risks.

Seema Kennedy: The most common invasive fungal infection in the United Kingdom is blood stream infection with yeast, often following surgical interventions. Public Health England (PHE) has prepared advisory documentation for national dissemination and individual hospital response following recent outbreaks caused by this organism, which can be viewed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/candida-auris-emergence-in-england/candida-auris-within-the-united-kingdom-updated-guidance-publishedInvasive mould infections such as invasive aspergillosis are more often seen in patients with haematological malignancies or those undergoing treatment for them, and it is difficult to capture absolute data on the incidence of these due to difficulty in definitive diagnosis.Chronic yeast infections are frequently seen in females that have suffered recurrent bouts of vaginal candidosis (thrush). Estimates suggest that 70% of women report having had at least one episode whilst 8% have repeated and persistent infections. Dermatophyte infections, including athletes’ foot are extremely common, found in about 10% of the adult population at any one time. Scalp and nail infections with these organisms are more disfiguring and difficult to treat.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report of the Children's Commissioner for England on early access to mental health support published in April 2019, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the real-term fall in spending on low-level mental health services across 60 percent of local authorities in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government recognises the need to adequately fund mental health services for children and young people and, as indicated in the NHS Long Term Plan, for the first time, funding for children and young people’s mental health services will grow faster than both overall National Health Service funding and total mental health funding. Mental health services will continue to receive a growing share of the NHS budget, with funding growing by at least £2.3 billion a year in real terms by 2023/24.The Department has made no assessment of the causes for the variation seen in real-terms funding per child for low-level mental health services as this is a matter for local authorities.

General Practitioners

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department plans to use to assess Primary Care Networks’ engagement with local communities.

Seema Kennedy: For Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to be successful they will need to work in partnership with local people and the communities they serve. NHS England does have a statutory duty to undertake an annual assessment of clinical commissioning groups’ (CCGs) performance, as part of the CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework (IAF). One of the indicators assessed is patient and community engagement. All NHS service providers, including general practitioner practices, have legal duties to engage with local authority health scrutiny about changes which may be considered substantial. These duties which currently apply to NHS service providers and commissioners around engagement and consultation will continue to be valid.Further information on the IAF is available on the NHS England website at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/regulation/ccg-assess/Results from the assessments are published on ‘MyNHS’ at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/performance-indicators/organisations/ccg-year-end-2015-assurance-assessmentThe assessments made are in line with the document ‘Patient and public participation in commissioning health and care: statutory guidance for CCGs and NHS England’, which is at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/patient-and-public-participation-in-commissioning-health-and-care-statutory-guidance-for-ccgs-and-nhs-england/

Dementia: Diagnosis

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis of dementia.

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of older people diagnosed with dementia.

Caroline Dinenage: The Challenge on Dementia 2020 sets out the ambition for two thirds of people with dementia to receive a formal diagnosis. This has been achieved and exceeded nationally. Our focus now is on reducing the variation in local diagnosis rates and NHS England have published guidance and put programmes in place to further improve the quality and timeliness of diagnosis across the country. NHS Digital collects data on the number of patients with a recorded dementia diagnosis in their clinical record and report this on a monthly basis, so that the National Health Service (general practitioners and commissioners) can make informed choices about how to plan their services around their patient’s needs. The data is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/recorded-dementia-diagnoses

Patients: Death

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Learning from Deaths Programme.

Caroline Dinenage: Since its establishment in 2017, the national Learning from Deaths (LfD) Programme Board has overseen significant progress across several areas, benefiting from the inclusion of family representatives providing valued personal perspective and challenge.This includes national guidance (on ‘Learning from Deaths’ and ‘working with bereaved families and carers’); greater scrutiny of the care provided to individuals with learning disabilities and mental health needs; legislation to mandate avoidable mortality reporting by trusts, as well as lessons learned and improvements made; and strengthened regulatory support and oversight of providers, including by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) through assessment of trusts learning from deaths as part of its inspection activity.In May 2019, the CQC published its review of the first year of trusts implementing the LfD national guidance. The review highlighted that trusts are at different stages of implementation, and we remain committed to enabling trusts to develop a strong safety and learning culture when responding to deaths.

Autism: Secure Accommodation

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of safe accommodations for children with severe forms of autism.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to improving how care and support is provided for autistic people, including for autistic children and young people. We are reviewing our autism strategy to ensure it remains fit for purpose, and working closely with the Department for Education, we are extending the scope of the strategy to include children. The refreshed ‘all age’ autism strategy is due to be published by the end of this year.It is essential that autistic children get the right care and support, in the right setting and at the right time to meet their needs. Under the Children and Families Act 2014, health, education and social care providers must work together to make this happen.Autistic children should only be admitted to hospital where absolutely necessary, for assessment and treatment of their needs and for as short a time as possible. The Long Term Plan for the National Health Service in England continues the work begun in 2015 to implement the ‘Building the Right Support’ plan by building capacity and services in the community in order to reduce reliance on inpatient care for people with a learning disability, and for autistic people.

Orkambi

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans his Department has put in place in the event that Vertex declines NHS England’s latest offer for the supply of Orkambi.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of launching a large scaleclinical trial of the generic version of Orkambi.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England is leading the negotiations with Vertex and has made a revised and improved offer to Vertex that would provide immediate funding for Orkambi, and Symkevi in advance of assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and expanded access to Kalydeco which is already funded on the National Health Service for certain patients.The Government fully supports NICE and NHS England in seeking to ensure access for patients to effective and innovative medicines at a price that represents value to the NHS, and it is not for Ministers to intervene in this process. The Department’s approach remains to urge Vertex to accept NHS England’s generous offer, but we will explore other options to ensure patients can access treatments as soon as possible.

Skin Cancer

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of cases of melanoma.

Seema Kennedy: On 16 June 2014, a local pilot campaign launched in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset to raise awareness of the signs of skin cancer. It encouraged people to tell their doctor if they noticed any unusual or persistent changes to their skin. It ran until 27 July 2014 and included adverts in the press and on local radio, as well as some direct mail to the target group. Skin Cancer awareness month is an annual awareness campaign that takes place every May. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers of unprotected sun exposure and educate the public about the ways to help prevent skin cancer.The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 came into force in April 2011 in England and Wales to prohibit under-18s from using sunbeds. Public Health England (PHE) contributed to the revision of the World Health Organization publication “Artificial tanning devices - Public health interventions to manage sunbeds”, which was published in 2017. PHE advises that sunbeds emit ultraviolet radiation, which can cause tanning and sunburn.

Genetics: Screening

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have received whole genome sequencing through the NHS; and how many of those patients had a type of blood cancer.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients he estimates will benefit from whole genome sequencing in (a) 2019 and (b) each of the next five years.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the NHS Genomic Medicine Service will begin performing whole genome sequencing.

Caroline Dinenage: As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, the National Health Service has committed to sequencing 500,000 whole genomes by 2023/24.During 2019, the NHS will begin to offer whole genome sequencing (WGS) as part of clinical care for:- Seriously ill children likely to have a rare genetic disorder;- People with one of 21 rare conditions where current evidence supports early adoption of WGS as a diagnostic test; and- People with specific types of cancer for which there is likely to be the greatest patient benefit from using WGS – children with cancer, sarcoma and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. As the price of whole genome sequencing falls and the evidence improves, we envisage that it will be extended to more conditions and therefore more patients.

Pathology: Vacancies

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the level of vacancy is in histopathology departments.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Improvement publishes vacancy data for three staff groups; doctors, nurses and ‘other staff’. These vacancy statistics are published for England and at the regional level of North, Midlands and East, London and South.They do not specifically produce vacancy data for histopathology departments or any vacancy data for each National Health Service hospital or trust.NHS Digital published the latest NHS Improvement vacancy data which can be found in the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey/february-2015---march-2019-provisional-experimental-statistics

Pharmacy Integration Fund

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current balance of the pharmacy integration fund is; and what initiatives have been supported by that fund since its inception.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England and NHS Improvement are awaiting the completion of the annual audit of its accounts, therefore no final figure is currently available for the balance of the Pharmacy Integration Fund (PhIF). The PhIF has supported a range of initiatives, including:- Recruitment and training of pharmacists to support integrated urgent care services, offering patients and care staff direct access to clinical advice and care from pharmacists;- Putting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians into the multi-disciplinary teams delivering enhanced health in care homes, to support medicines optimisation for people who live in care homes;- The development of an urgent medicines supply service. This connects people who contact NHS 111 for urgent access to medicines with local community pharmacies who are able to dispense, and redirects demand out of general practitioner out of hours services, and/or accident and emergency departments;- The piloting of a minor illness service, which enables people who contact NHS 111 to get urgent care and advice from a local community pharmacy for a range of common illness complaints; and- Providing leadership training for the profession to support them to work effectively with their partners in the emerging integrated care systems, with a focus on delivering the range of benefits of medicines optimisation.Further information can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/primary-care/pharmacy/pharmacy-integration-fund/

Steroid Drugs

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure continuity of supply for steroid treatments in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. However, as a responsible Government, we will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and medical products in a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.The Government fully understands that maintaining access to steroid treatments is vitally important to many people in this country. We are continuing to work with trade bodies and other stakeholders to carefully review the implications of the extension to the Article 50 period until 31 October at the latest, before sharing further guidance with industry at the earliest opportunity. On 26 April we wrote to suppliers advising that, until further guidance is provided, all no-deal measures (such as stockpiles, additional buffer stocks, etc) should remain in place but on hold.

Arthritis: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to (a) ensure patient safety and (b) support pioneering medical research to tackle (i) rheumatoid arthritis and (ii) other inflammatory conditions in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. However, as a responsible Government, we must plan for every eventuality, including no deal.We have been working closely with partners across the health and care system and industry to ensure the continued health and safety of patients, including ensuring supplies of medicines and medical products, and securing the future of our EU health and care workforce.The Department has published EU Exit operational readiness guidance for the health and care system in England outlining actions that providers and commissioners of health and social care services should take to prepare for, and manage, the risks of a no deal exit scenario.We continue to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the National Health Service and adult social care, and we are working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high-quality services on which the public relies following the UK’s exit from the EU.The UK has an outstanding track record for research into rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. The Government invests over £1 billion in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This provides direct funding for health research and clinical trials and also the skills, facilities and infrastructure to undertake clinical trials in the health and care service funded by public, charity and industry funders.In 2017/18, the NIHR provided £11.7 million funding for research on the inflammatory and immune system (this includes rheumatoid arthritis, connective tissue diseases, autoimmune diseases, allergies and normal development and function of the immune system, as per the UK Clinical Research Collaboration Health Research Classification System, of which £1.2 million was for research on rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, the NIHR Clinical Research Network provides the support to deliver research by public, charity and industry funders in the health and care system.The UK and the EU have a long record of jointly tackling global challenges, with strong existing links already in place between our research and innovation communities, and we want to continue this important collaboration in science, research and innovation, including in pioneering medical research for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.As a responsible Government, we are continuing to prepare for all scenarios. In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal at the end of this extension period, the Government has confirmed that the funding commitments made under the guarantee and the extension still stand. Through these commitments, the Government will underwrite funding for all successful competitive eligible UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before the end of the Programme. This guarantee will apply for the lifetime of projects and will provide funding for UK participation in pioneering Horizon 2020 medical research projects can continue.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government will extend the commitment to reimburse EU Member States for the cost of providing healthcare to UK nationals in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal and until the UK has secured a reciprocal healthcare agreement with the respective member state which provides for the reimbursement of costs.

Stephen Hammond: The United Kingdom Government has proposed to European Union Member States that, in a no-deal scenario, we should maintain the existing healthcare arrangements until 31 December 2020, with the aim of minimising disruption to UK nationals’ and EU citizens’ healthcare provision. This is subject to negotiations, which are ongoing. For UK nationals that live in EU Member States, the UK cannot unilaterally guarantee the continuation of current arrangements, as this depends on decisions by Member States.Individuals are always responsible for ensuring they have sufficient healthcare insurance. Anyone who is living, working or studying in EU Member States should check the country specific guidance on GOV.UK and NHS.UK for updates. The UK Government has committed to fund healthcare for UK nationals (and others for whom the UK is responsible) who have applied for, or are undergoing, treatments in the EU prior to and on exit day, for up to one year, to protect the most vulnerable.

Disability

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what impact assessment his Department has conducted of the effect on people with disabilities of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Caroline Dinenage: No formal impact assessment has been conducted by the Department of the effect on people with disabilities of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a deal.

Medicine: Research

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment of the effect on the UK's future participation in future EU Research Programmes in (a) medical research and (b) drugs of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Caroline Dinenage: Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s priority. However, as a responsible Government, we must plan for every eventuality, including ‘no deal’.The United Kingdom and the EU have a long record of jointly tackling global challenges, with strong existing links already in place between our research and innovation communities, and we want to continue this important collaboration in science, research and innovation, including in medical research.The Government is committed to continuing to back UK researchers and innovators by supporting measures to enable world-class collaborative research, including support for small businesses. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with the National Academies, the devolved administrations and UK Research and Innovation to develop ambitious and credible alternatives to association, through which we will enable world class collaborative research.In addition, earlier in the year, the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation (Chris Skidmore MP) commissioned Sir Adrian Smith to provide independent advice on international collaboration – specifically on potential future UK funding schemes in the context of the UK’s future ambitions for European and international collaboration on research and innovation. His advice will help set the direction for the implementation of the Government’s ambition to ensure the UK continues to be a global leader in science, research and innovation, and an attractive country for individuals to study and work.

Clinical Trials: Finance

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what effect the UK leaving the EU without a deal will have on funding of clinical drug trials; if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The United Kingdom and the European Union have a long record of jointly tackling global challenges, with strong existing links already in place between our research and innovation communities, and we want to continue this important collaboration in science, research and innovation.The UK and the EU have agreed a flexible extension of the Article 50 period to 31 October 2019. During this extension period the UK will remain a member of the EU, with all the relevant rights and obligations. This means that the UK will continue to participate in Horizon 2020, the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme, on a Member State basis. Further, this extension period provides time for the Government to seek a deal which will ensure the smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU. If ratified, the proposed Withdrawal Agreement would ensure that following exit the UK could continue to participate in EU programmes such as Horizon 2020 for the lifetime of projects. Further updates on Horizon 2020 planning will be provided in due course.As a responsible Government, we are continuing to prepare for all scenarios. In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal at the end of this extension period, the Government has confirmed that the funding commitments made under the guarantee and the extension still stand. Through these commitments, the Government will underwrite funding for all successful competitive eligible UK bids to Horizon 2020 that are submitted before the end of the Programme. This guarantee will apply for the lifetime of projects and will provide funding for UK participation in pioneering Horizon 2020 medical research projects can continue.Aside from our preparations for leaving the EU, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to research and innovation, including clinical drug trials, by putting it at the heart of its Industrial Strategy, setting an ambition to increase UK total research and development expenditure to 2.4% of gross domestic product by 2027. As a first step towards that we have invested an extra £7 billion in research and development up to 2021/2022. The Government invests over £1 billion in health research through the National Institute for Health Research. This provides direct funding for clinical trials and also the skills, facilities and infrastructure to undertake clinical trials in the health and care service funded by public, charity and industry funders.

Out-patients: Attendance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of missed (a) GP and (b) hospital appointments.

Seema Kennedy: Information surrounding the cost of missed general practitioner and hospital appointments is not collected or held centrally.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department disagreed with the Public Accounts Committee in their report into mental health services for children and young people, published on 11 January 2019, that his Department should co-operate with other Departments to tackle mental health issues in children and young people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Seventy-Second to the Seventy-Seventh reports from Session 2017-19 set out that the Government disagreed with the Committee’s recommendation. It went on to say that: “The Department supports the intent behind this recommendation and is considering the benefits of developing a coherent cross-departmental programme in due course. However, doing so would require considerable time and resource to do it justice and our focus at present is on a wide range of delivery and policy priorities which we will set out briefly here. NHS England set out a clear plan for improvements in the NHS in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Implementation Plan, building upon the recommendations of Future in Mind to improve children and young people’s mental health. The Department remains committed to this plan and has since made commitments to go significantly further, particularly in relation to mental health and education via Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper, jointly published with the Department for Education in December 2017, and there are a wide range of important new commitments outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Department is also taking forward significant work bilaterally with several other government departments including the Ministry of Justice on the independent review of the Mental Health Act, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on social media and a cross-government strategy on suicide prevention which was published 22 January 2019. Both the children and young people’s mental health Green Paper and Future in Mind identified the need for cross-organisational working. As a result of Future in Mind, since 2015, each Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area across England worked with partners in Children’s Services, the voluntary sector, providers and children, young people and parents to develop Local Transformation Plans, setting out how local agencies will work together to improve children and young people’s mental health across the full spectrum of need. Local Transformation Plans are refreshed annually and report into local governance structures including Health and Wellbeing Boards. The Government convenes regular cross-Whitehall Inter-Ministerial Groups to ensure senior focus on mental health in policies across Government.” The Government response is available at the following link: www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/public-accounts/Correspondence/2017-19/Treasury%20MInutes%20Government_Response_Web.pdf#page=9

Department for International Development

Gaza: Children

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the welfare of children living in Gaza.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK continually monitors the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We are concerned by the high levels of poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and the impacts of the humanitarian situation on children. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report on 31 May titled ‘The Gaza trauma response’, noted that from 30th March 2018 to 30th March 2019, during the ‘Great March of Return’ demonstrations, 172 people became permanently disabled because of their injuries, of whom 36 were children. The UK is committed to help the growing needs of approximately 1.5 million registered refugees in Gaza through support to the UN Refugees and Works Agency (UNRWA). Between 2019-2020, the UK will provide up to £80m to UNRWA. UNRWA runs over 274 schools and educates over 278,000 children in Gaza. We are providing £2 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help support several of the most urgent health needs in Gaza, including drugs, surgical equipment and physical rehabilitation for people with disabilities. We have recently announced £1.6m aid to the World Health Organisation Appeal, which will support trauma medical treatment in the Gaza Strip, including establishment of a new limb reconstruction centre.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: HMG continues to monitor the humanitarian situation across Sudan, including the conflict areas, with concern. Close to two million people live as Internally Displaced People inside Sudan, with around 600,000 living precarious lives as refugees beyond its borders. Sudan also hosts close to a million refugees, the majority from neighbouring South Sudan. The United Nations has published estimates that 5.7 million people, including all of those displaced, are in need of humanitarian support, although that number may increase to 8 million people if the current economic crisis continues. The United Nations has developed a response plan to meet the needs of 4.4 million people that would cost $1.2Bn, and relies on the governing authorities in Sudan to facilitate safe passage of these supplies and aid workers to reach those in need of assistance. The UK’s Department of International Development in Sudan is prioritising the humanitarian response and has already contributed £30 million this fiscal year.

Palestinian Authority: Pay

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261075, whether the wages of any UK-funded Palestinian Authority public servants have been reduced as a result of Palestinian Authority spending cuts.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID officials are aware that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has begun to make partial salary payments to public sector officials earning 2,000 NIS (£425) or above a month and can confirm that this includes health and education sector public servants whose salaries are funded through UK aid. The UK continues to support a stable PA which can act as an effective partner for peace with Israel. UK aid to the PA’s health and education sectors is used exclusively to pay the salaries of vetted health and education public servants, including teachers, doctors and nurses, in the West Bank. The EU vets the list of PA health and education sector employees before every disbursement of financial aid to ensure only eligible beneficiaries receive UK aid, at a range of grades based on the PA payroll system. These payments are then independently audited. The PA’s decision to make partial salary payments to public sector officials does not affect the robust financial safeguards that ensure UK financial aid reaches its intended beneficiaries.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261277 on Department for International Development: Public Expenditure, from which budget heading the additional £1.1 billion expenditure on climate and the environment will be allocated from.

Harriett Baldwin: Tackling climate change and environmental degradation and addressing poverty reduction are two sides of the same coin. Many of the programmes we run currently and plan to run in future deliver both climate benefits and reduce poverty. The doubling of DFID spending on climate and environment over the next five years will need to be discussed and agreed with HM Treasury alongside spending on other development priorities as part of the upcoming Spending Review. The Government remains committed to maximising the impact of our aid funding on the Sustainable Development Goals, and achieving the best outcomes for the UK public.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261277 on Department for International Development: Public Expenditure, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on allocating additional funding for climate finance.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has pledged to provide at least £5.8bn of International Climate Finance (ICF) between 2016 and 2020. All discussions on funding for departments, including funding on climate finance after 2020 will begin once the Spending Round has formally been announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Emergencies: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of his Department’s spending is currently allocated to gender-based violence services in emergencies.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is a world leader in championing prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls through research, programmes and partnerships. Our £25million What Works to Prevent Violence programme is the largest global investment in research into prevention of violence against women and girls and I am committed to maintaining the UK’s global leadership in this area. At the Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Humanitarian Crises Conference the UK committed £7 million of support to tackle SGBV in Syria through our partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and reaffirmed our commitments made under the Call to Action on Protection from Gender Based Violence in Emergencies. Work to prevent and respond to GBV in emergencies in DFID consists of standalone programmes and GBV prevention and response integrated into broader conflict prevention, humanitarian and sector wide interventions in education, women’s economic empowerment and social protection. This complexity means that we do not specifically track all this spend as gender-based violence programming.

Emergencies: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to close the funding gap, estimated by the International Rescue Committee at US $ 104.2 million, for gender-based violence services in emergencies.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Far more needs to be done to combat the appalling levels of violence that women and girls experience every day around the world. During humanitarian emergencies, violence against women and girls can increase in both frequency and severity. DFID funded ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ research in South Sudan revealed that over 73% of girls and women experienced intimate partner violence. The UK is an active member of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies, which brings together governments, UN agencies, international NGOs and civil society organisations to share best practice and report on progress against shared commitments on preventing and responding to GBV. The UK co-chairs the States and Donors Working Group. DFID’s ground-breaking research into violence against women and girls has demonstrated that violence is preventable, and we are committed to using this evidence to scale up our work to prevent violence and to influence our international partners to do the same.

Emergencies: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the recent Ending Sexual and Gender-based Violence in Humanitarian Crises Conference.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Participants at the Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Humanitarian Crises Conference agreed that strengthening SGBV prevention and response must be a humanitarian priority. Baroness Sugg represented the UK at the conference and reiterated the UK’s strong leadership on ending all forms of SGBV, announcing UK political commitments which included ensuring access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls in humanitarian crises and £7 million of support to tackle SGBV in Syria through our partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The UK reaffirmed our commitments made under the Call to Action on Protection from Gender Based Violence in Emergencies. These commitments are in line with DFID policy.

Emergencies: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if his Department will commit to increasing funding for gender-based violence services at the Preventing sexual violence initiative conference in November.

Dr Andrew Murrison: There is more the UK can do to prevent all forms of violence, including sexual violence in conflict. Through initiatives such as Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI) and the Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Humanitarian Crises Conference (Oslo Conference) we are continually challenging ourselves and others to step up and do more to tackle the problem. At the Oslo Conference the UK announced an additional £7 million in funding for GBV in Syria. We are committed to continuing to step up our GBV prevention and response but these efforts are not limited to DFID funding. UK leadership includes advocating for all humanitarian actors to recognise SGBV as a shared priority and investing in evidence that demonstrates both the scale of the problem and effective interventions to address SGBV. We are committed to continuing to invest in ground-breaking programmes such as DFID’s ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ that provide vital support to women and girls and inform global evidence on the prevalence, severity and effective interventions to prevent violence.

Department for Education

Adventure Learning Academy Trust: and Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11th June 2019 to Question 261231 on Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust and Adventure Learning Academy Trust, whether the police have been involved in the investigations of those trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: Referring back to question 261231, we can not comment on ongoing investigations. However, we remain fully committed to ensuring those responsible are held to account where wrongdoing is identified. The answer to 261231 is available here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2019-06-06/261231/.

Department for Education: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Anne Milton: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has not had any meetings with the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019. The CSA’s staff regularly attend meetings as required. The CSA regularly provides written advice to my right hon. Friend, Secretary of State for Education.

Higher Education

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many undergraduates are currently studying courses for (a) veterinary surgery, (b) architecture and (c) web design.

Chris Skidmore: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students enrolled in higher education (HE). HESA published data for undergraduates currently studying courses for veterinary surgery, architecture and web design at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-22.Information on undergraduate students enrolled in each principal subject area at HE institutions in 2017/18 has been provided in Table 1 which has been attached. This includes the principal subjects that encompass veterinary surgery and architecture. There is no direct classification for web design.



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English Language: Refugees

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the forthcoming strategy for ESOL will ensure that all refugees can access a minimum of eight hours a week of formal, accredited English language teaching for their first two years in the UK.

Anne Milton: The government recognises that learning English is essential in enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. We are working across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in 2019, which will include addressing the needs of refugees.The department funds ESOL through the Adult Education Budget, which is allocated to providers on an annual basis. Colleges and adult learning providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their Adult Education Budget allocation to meet the needs of their communities and this includes planning, with local partners, the ESOL courses that they will deliver locally.The Home Office and Department for Education have provided £10 million to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes.

Literacy: Children

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Literacy Trust Report entitled Children, young people and digital reading, published April 2019, what assessment he has made of the literacy benefits of children reading both digital and print formats.

Nick Gibb: The Department welcomes the National Literacy Trust’s research on reading in both print and digital forms. The Department wants children to develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and information, whatever the format. Research suggests that reading for pleasure is more important for children’s educational development than their parents’ level of education. There is sound evidence that systematic synthetic phonics is a highly effective method of teaching reading to children. Phonics performance is improving: in 2018, there were 163,000 more 6 year olds on track to become fluent readers compared to in 2012. This represented 82% of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check, compared to just 58% when the check was introduced in 2012. Building on the success of the Department’s phonics partnerships and phonics roadshows programmes, the Department launched a £26.3 million English Hubs Programme in 2018. Hub schools are taking a leading role in improving the teaching of early reading through systematic synthetic phonics, early language development, and reading for pleasure. The Department has appointed 34 primary schools across England as English Hubs.

Children's Centres

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to establish a children’s centre outcomes framework.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report  entitled Closed Doors: children’s centre usage between 2014-15 and 2017-18, published in June 2019 by Action for Children, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities submit data on children's centre use in the early years to enable children’s centre provision to meet local need.

Nadhim Zahawi: In 2013 the department published the children’s centre core purpose, which focussed on improving outcomes for children in greatest need of support. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sure-start-childrens-centres.In July 2018 we set an ambitious goal to halve, by 2028, the percentage of children leaving reception year without the communication, language and literacy skills they need to thrive. We have been clear about the outcomes that we are looking to achieve in the early years and it is for local authorities to decide how best to deliver local services.To help local areas monitor and improve these outcomes, we published on 6 June 2019 the Early Years Outcomes Dashboard: https://department-for-education.shinyapps.io/smapey-dashboard/. This dashboard makes the most important early years social mobility metrics easily available and will allow local authorities to benchmark their outcomes against their statistical neighbours. This is in addition to the extensive range of data made available to local authorities by Public Health England through its Child and Maternal Health profiles: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/child-health-profiles.In line with this emphasis on outcomes, the department has no plans to require local authorities to submit data on children’s centre use. The decision to reduce burdens on local authorities and stop requiring them to submit usage data was set out in paragraphs 5.28 and 5.29 of the Sure Start children’s centre planning and performance management guidance in 2006: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100210171222/http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/_download/?id=4974.The department believes this is still the right approach. Local authorities should be reviewing data on service use and outcomes in order to ensure that they are meeting the duty to have sufficient children’s centres to meet local need and their commissioning decisions are informed by evidence of the impact of their local services. We will continue to work with local authorities to achieve the Secretary of State’s social mobility ambition, including through our £8.5 million early years local government programme.

Refugees: Loneliness

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of access to English language classes to reduce levels of loneliness among resettled refugees.

Anne Milton: The government is committed to tackling loneliness and published its first loneliness strategy on 15 October 2018, bringing together the government, local government, public services, the voluntary and community sector and businesses to identify opportunities to tackle loneliness and build more integrated communities.The government recognises that learning English is essential in enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. We are working closely across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in 2019, which will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees.We know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate into life in England, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. This is why we support adults in England through the Adult Education Budget to secure the English language skills they need. The Home Office and the Department for Education have also provided £10 million to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes.

Schools: Finance

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of a potential correlation between (a) reductions in real-terms school budgets, (b) shortages of teaching assistants and (c) pastoral staff and schools' ability to tackle incidents of bullying.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the higher rates of bullying in schools experienced by (a) LGBTQ and (b) ethnic minority pupils.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in real-term school budgets on schools' ability to support SEND pupils at risk of bullying.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department plans to use to assess the effect of reformed statutory relationships and sex education on the (a) severity and (b) level of bullying in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government has no plans to require schools to report centrally on incidents of bullying, but the Department included questions in its School Snapshot survey in winter 2017 to obtain information on different types of bullying. The results can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-snapshot-survey-winter-2017.Similar questions have been included in the summer 2019 survey. The results of this survey will be published next year.The Government has sent a clear message to schools that all bullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. The public sector Equality Duty means that schools must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not.The Department has issued guidance to schools about how to prevent and respond to bullying as part of their overall behaviour policy. It has also published the Respectful Schools Communities tool to support schools to develop a whole school approach which promotes respect amongst all pupils and signposts further sources of advice.This will be supported by the introduction of compulsory relationships education in all primary and secondary state-funded schools. Statutory guidance for schools sets out that pupils should be taught about different types of bullying, the impact of bullying and how to get help. We are committed to ensuring schools are supported and ready to teach these new subjects to high quality and have announced a budget of £6 million in 2019-20 financial year to develop a programme of support for schools. The Department is establishing an early adopter school programme to support early teaching of the new requirements. It is also working with early adopter schools to support the design of the training programme and to refine supplementary guidance to ensure that the teaching of the subjects is as effective as possible.The Department is also providing over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes the Anne Frank Trust who have developed the Free to Be debate programme, which encourages pupils to think about the importance of tackling prejudice, discrimination and bullying. It also includes the Anti-Bullying Alliance, whose programme has a particular focus on reducing bullying of those with special educational needs and disabilities. Between 2016-2019 the Government Equalities Office provided £3 million of funding to prevent and tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools. In the LGBT Action Plan published last year, it committed £1million to continue the programme until 2020.

Healthy Pupils Capital Fund

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 189627 on the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund, how much of the £62 million of the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund allocated via local authorities to large multi-academy trusts and local authorities was allocated to each (a) multi-academy trust and (b) local authority.

Nadhim Zahawi: Healthy Pupil Capital Fund allocations for each local authority and academy trust, who were eligible to receive a direct allocation, were published in March 2018 and the information is available here: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20190212204720/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations.

English Language: Refugees

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all refugees who come to the UK are provided with English language education at the earliest opportunity.

Anne Milton: The government recognises that learning English is essential in enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. We are working across government to develop a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) in 2019, which will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees.The department funds ESOL through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), which is allocated to providers on an annual basis. Colleges and adult learning providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB allocation to meet the needs of their communities and this includes planning, with local partners, the ESOL courses that they will deliver locally. The AEB also provides additional support for learners who face specific financial hardship, which is preventing them from taking part or continuing in learning.The Home Office and the Department for Education have also provided £10 million to enable refugees resettled through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to access additional classes.

Healthy Pupils Capital Fund

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated from the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund for projects on (a) mental health, (b) physical health and (c) other purposes.

Nadhim Zahawi: ​All Healthy Pupils Capital Fund (HPCF) projects funded through the Condition Improvement Fund 2018-19 were assessed against the HPCF funding criteria to improve children’s and young people’s physical and mental health by enhancing access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions. Details of successful HPCF projects have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2018-to-2019-outcome. Projects have not been categorised by those which relate to mental health or physical health.Local authorities and larger academy trusts received a formulaic allocation from HPCF based on pupil numbers. They have the flexibility to distribute HPCF funding in line with the HPCF criteria to meet local priorities and need. Data on the use of HPCF funding by local authorities and larger academy trusts will be collected and published in due course, as part of regular capital spend data collections.

Healthy Pupils Capital Fund

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the funding allocated through the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund in 2018-19 has been spent on approved projects as of 17 June 2019.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities and larger multi-academy trusts (MATs) received a formulaic allocation from the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund (HPCF) to improve children’s and young people’s physical and mental health. They have the flexibility to distribute HPCF funding to meet local priorities and need, in line with the HPCF criteria. MAT accounting officers are required to confirm that funding received has been spent in line with the conditions of grants and to submit their accounts for auditing. Data on the use of HPCF funding by local authorities and larger MATs will be collected and published in due course, as part of regular capital spend data collections.All HPCF projects funded through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) 2018-19 were assessed against the HPCF funding criteria to improve children’s and young people’s physical and mental health by enhancing access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions. Data on the use of HPCF funding through CIF will be published in due course, once the CIF 2018-19 projects are complete.

Children in Care: Location

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children have been placed in children’s homes (a) in borough and (b) out of borough by each local authority in each year since 2015.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of looked after children in children’s homes by placement location since 2015 for each local authority is shown in the attached table. The latest figures on children looked after by placement and placement location are published in Table A2 of the statistical release, ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. 



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Selective Schools Expansion Fund

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the £700,000 not allocated from the Selective Schools Expansion Fund for 2018-19 will be returned to the Exchequer or used for other purposes by his Department.

Nick Gibb: In December 2018, the Department announced £49.3 million funding for the first round of the Selective Schools Expansion Fund (SSEF). The Department is currently assessing bids for the second round and are due to announce successful bids in the autumn.Underspend from the SSEF is returned to the Department's overall capital budget and can be spent on other priorities.

Children's Centres

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 5 June, 2019, Official Report, Column HL122. what the evidential basis for the statement that there are now more children’s centres than at any time prior to 2008.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme: Homelessness

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of applications for legal aid in cases involving homelessness have been been accepted in each year since 2012.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of homelessness applications have been awarded legal aid in each year since 2012.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of applications for legal aid in cases involving possession proceedings have been successful in each year since 2012.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of applications for legal aid in cases involving eviction have been successful in each year since 2012.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many challenges to decisions on home repossessions have (a) been made, (b) been successful and (c) received legal aid in each year since 2012.

Paul Maynard: Legal aid in cases involving homelessness proceedings  Legal helpCivil representation Matters completedApplicationsGrantsProportion granted2012-1320,6721,8311,78497%2013-1415,0471,5451,47195%2014-1516,2651,4001,31894%2015-1615,0081,5161,44795%2016-1715,5951,3761,21388%2017-1815,1271,2081,18398%April to December 2018*10,35375866888%Legal aid in cases involving possession proceedings   Legal HelpCivil Representation Matters completedApplicationsGrantsProportion granted2012-1322,7397,2577,02797%2013-1419,9127,2767,11298%2014-1519,7577,6327,31996%2015-1616,9846,8526,66597%2016-1716,4566,5886,08192%2017-1814,8006,3336,18298%April to December 2018*9,5004,5394,37996%  Legal aid cases involving eviction proceedings Legal HelpCivil Representation Matters completedApplicationsGrantsProportion granted2012-132,46044239289%2013-141,65530129197%2014-151,54032527785%2015-161,05343842196%2016-171,13593384390%2017-18998838836100%April to December 2018*60048544492%*(Apr to Dec 2018) ‘Proportion granted’ data is not held for Legal Help matters, as the decision on whether to grant funding is devolved to the solicitor in question. 264749 and 264752 could only be answered at disproportionate cost.

Courts and Probation: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much money has been recovered from IT systems suppliers since the probation and courts IT systems failures in January 2019.

Robert Buckland: The Ministry of Justice is continuing discussions with its Suppliers in relation to the outage. Due to the ongoing nature of these discussions it is not possible to provide any information pertaining to the quantification of costs, at this time.

Julian Assange

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the procedure was for (a) public and (b) press access to the extradition hearing for Julian Assange; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: This was an open hearing, accessible to both the press and public.   Extra chairs were laid out to accommodate as many people as possible in the court room. As is usual in high-profile cases, a ticketing system was in place to allocate seats to the media.   There were, however, more people wishing to observe the hearing than there were seats available, meaning that not everyone could be accommodated on this occasion.

Courts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the frequency with which courts are closed to the public and press without an order having been granted by the judge.

Paul Maynard: The arrangements for the admission of the public and the press to a court vary by the jurisdiction of that court, and by the nature of the application being considered. Where a court is under a duty to sit in open court, it has an inherent jurisdiction to sit in private but only if ordered by the presiding judge or magistrates. A court, to which the press or public must be admitted, will not sit in private without a judicial direction. The ability of the court to admit the public and the press may be limited by the physical constraints of the courtroom.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of HMCTS staff were agency staff by staffing band in (a) 2010 and (b) 2018.

Paul Maynard: The number of agency staff in HMCTS was 2,737 as of March 2018, which was 14.6%. The earliest held comparable data is from 2016 and shows 1,569, which was 8.5% of the staffing numbers. This shows an increase of 1,168, 6.1 percentage points, over this period. The following table shows a breakdown by grade as requested. We were unable to provide data from 2010 as HMCTS did not exist in its current form until 2011. Prior to this there were multiple business units that held their own people data. We are unable to obtain agency data from HR systems prior to 2016. As with any large data system, there are also likely to be some inaccuracies. Over the period of Reform, we expect the shape and size of the organisation to change. As part of this we are reducing our staffing levels and expect the future skills of our people to change. The HMCTS workforce strategy during this period is to increase the capability of our staff, whilst simultaneously increasing our workforce flexibility through the increased usage of contingent labour. This is in order to reduce redundancy costs and protect the jobs of longer serving, permanent staff. The required staffing level needed across each of our HMCTS sites is monitored closely, and proactive recruitment undertaken to ensure these levels are maintained.

Department for International Trade

Fracking: Overseas Investment

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much money UK Export Finance has invested in overseas fracking operations.

Graham Stuart: UK Export Finance (UKEF) has not provided finance for fracking projects overseas.

UK Export Finance

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much money has been spent on the Breakfast Briefings for MPs on UK Export Finance since 2017.

Graham Stuart: MP Breakfast Briefings are organised once a month with the objective of giving Members of Parliament (MPs) an opportunity to learn more about the work of the Department for International Trade and how MPs can support trade and investment in their constituency. The briefings are open to all MPs in the House of Commons of all political parties. There have been two MP breakfast briefings for MPs on UK Export Finance since 2017. The total cost of the two breakfast briefings is £345.00.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Environment Protection

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the use of green (a) roofs and (b) spaces in new housing developments.

Kit Malthouse: The National Planning Policy Framework requires developments to incorporate an appropriate amount of green and other public space. It also states that greater weight should be given to designs which promote high levels of sustainability. We recognise that green roofs can improve the thermal performance of buildings. The Building Regulations set minimum energy performance standards for new homes and non-domestic buildings. The principal way that developers demonstrate compliance is through a whole building energy calculation. For a new building, the properties of green roofs would be taken into account in the calculation of overall energy performance and therefore the carbon emissions from the building.

Social Rented Housing: Standards

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps he has taken to increase the standard and quality of social housing for tenants.

Kit Malthouse: Progress has been made on improving standards of decency in social housing. The number of social homes failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard is down 32 per cent since 2010.The Social Housing Green Paper ‘A new deal for social housing’ (August 2018) recognised that the Decent Homes Standard has not been revised since 2006 and asked whether it should be reviewed to consider whether it delivers the right standards for social housing. We are assessing the consultation responses and are finalising our response.The Government also supported the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 which will require social landlords to ensure that their properties are free from potentially serious hazards at the start of and throughout a tenancy.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to place on a statutory basis the good practice guidance to local authorities in relation to their use of powers on unauthorised encampments.

Kit Malthouse: As stated in the Government response to the consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments , we will in due course create a power to place new guidance on a statutory footing.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for publishing the details of the £1.5 million fund for local authorities to enforce planning rules and tackle unauthorised development; how local authorities will be able to bid for that funding; and when that funding will be allocated.

Kit Malthouse: We will announce further details of the £1.5 million fund for planning enforcement over the summer.

Affordable Housing and Social Rented Housing

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the price of land on affordable housing provision; and what steps he will take to reduce the cost of land to support social home builders.

Kit Malthouse: My Department has recently introduced planning reforms to make it clear that under no circumstances will the price paid for land be a relevant justification for failing to meet affordable housing requirements. Between 2015-16 and 2017-18, we delivered over 122,000 affordable homes, of which over 53,000 units were delivered through section 106 agreements - not including housing delivered through London Affordable Rent or where tenure was unknown.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's publication entitled, Building Safety Programme: monthly data release, if he will publish the criteria his Department uses to classify blocks as started remediation; and whether that criteria includes blocks for which cladding has only been partially removed.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



The start of remediation works on Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems for individual buildings is defined as the commencement of physical work beyond interim measures to permanently make that building safe, such as starting to remove and replace cladding. Data on progress towards completion for buildings which have started remediation works on ACM cladding systems is not collected.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date the UK Holocaust Foundation commissioned the CBRE to search for a suitable site for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: CBRE commenced work the week commencing 16 November 2015.

Fracking

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the permitted development for shale gas exploration consultation which closed on 25 October 2018.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the compulsory community pre-application consultation for shale gas development consultation which closed on 7 January 2019.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s 8th report, Planning guidance on fracking, published on 5 July 2018.

Kit Malthouse: The Government will provide a comprehensive response to the Select Committee’s report, and respond to the consultations on permitted development for shale gas exploration and compulsory community pre-application consultation for shale gas development, in due course.We are currently analysing the representations to both the consultations, and considering the Select Committee’s report and its conclusions and recommendations.

Business Premises: Change of Use

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) small unit sizes, (b) windowless rooms, (c) poor air quality, (d) lack of green space and amenities and (e) other issues in respect of permitted development rights for office to residential conversions referred to in the May 2018 report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the case study in the May 2018 report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors entitled Extending permitted development rights in England: the implications for public authorities and communities which shows that in Glasgow where office to residential conversion requires full planning permission rather than permitted development higher residential quality and better space standards have followed.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings in the May 2018 report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors which found that 30 per cent of office to residential conversions built under permitted development met national space standards.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether office to residential conversion under permitted development meets the aims set out in the National Policy Planning Framework to achieve healthy, safe and inclusive places, which promote social interaction, are safe and accessible, and enable and support healthy lifestyles.

Kit Malthouse: We announced in Written Ministerial Statement HCWS 1408 our intention to review permitted development rights for the conversion of buildings to residential use in respect of the quality standard of homes delivered.New homes in England, whether granted permission on an application or through a permitted development right, are required to meet Building Regulations.

Affordable Housing: Standards

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposal by the Town and Country Planning Association that the most effective way to deliver high quality, genuinely affordable homes in good environments and at speed is through modernised New Town Development Corporations.

Kit Malthouse: We agree that where there are complex delivery and co-ordination challenges, development corporations can be the right vehicles to drive forward high-quality new communities at scale.That is why we passed regulations in July 2018 to enable the creation of locally-led New Town Development Corporations, overseen not by the Secretary of State as was previously the case, but by local authorities.In addition, at Autumn Budget 2018, we announced that we would launch a consultation on the legislative framework for development corporations – to ensure they have the powers they need to deliver. We will also be launching a £10 million competitive fund, supported with advice from Sir George Iacobescu, to enable local areas to generate locally-led proposals for new business‑backed development corporations and similar delivery bodies.

Members: Correspondence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 18 March 2019  from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central on behalf of her constituent, Mr Devlin Graham.

Kit Malthouse: We have received the letter from the hon Member for Glasgow Central and a response will be sent shortly.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Jake Berry: I refer the hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 259206 on 6 June 2109.

Lewisham Borough Council: Finance

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the per capita funding allocated to Lewisham Council.

Rishi Sunak: The Department does not publish per capita funding allocated to local authorities.Lewisham Council’s Core Spending Power for 2019-20, including on a per dwelling basis, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2019-to-2020.

Social Rented Housing: Regulation

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the establishment of a new regulator for social housing.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) proactive and (b) regular inspections to increase standards in the social housing sector.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 19 June 2019



Nothing is more important than ensuring people are safe in their homes. Residents’ voices need to be heard to ensure proper standards are maintained and that where things are going wrong they are picked up and addressed. We want to ensure that there is a coherent and consistent approach to regulation to deliver these objectives, and achieve the best deal for tenants and landlords. Our review of social housing regulation is exploring the most appropriate way of doing so, and we will publish the results of that review in due course.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide additional funding to replace highly combustible material on balconies of blocks of flats.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 19 June 2019



Government intervention to provide funding to speed up the removal of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is wholly exceptional. This is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses. The Government has consistently made clear that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. We have published guidance to reiterate the importance of building owners assessing their buildings and ensuring that non-ACM cladding systems are safe. Advice Note 14, published in 2017 and updated in December 2018, reiterates that the clearest way to ensure safety is to remove unsafe materials. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765761/Expert_Panel_advice_note_on_non-ACM.pdf

Social Rented Housing: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide funding to enable social housing providers to remediate high pressure laminate cladding.

Kit Malthouse: Government intervention to provide funding to speed up the removal of unsafe ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) cladding is wholly exceptional. This is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses. The Government has consistently made clear that building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. We have published guidance to reiterate the importance of building owners assessing their buildings and ensuring that non-ACM cladding systems are safe. Advice Note 14, published in 2017 and updated in December 2018, reiterates that the clearest way to ensure safety is to remove unsafe materials.   https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765761/Expert_Panel_advice_note_on_non-ACM.pdf

Lakanal House: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence his Department has had with Kensington and Chelsea tenant management organisation on the recommendations of the coroner investigating the Lakanal House fire.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has not found any record of any direct contact with the Tenants Management Office from that period.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether any (a) current and (b) former Ministers in his Department have been questioned under caution by the Metropolitan Police in connection with the Grenfell Tower fire.

Kit Malthouse: It is a matter for the Metropolitan Police to disclose the names of the those they have questioned as part of their investigation into the Grenfell Tower fire.

Housing: Construction

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of local planning authorities setting requirements for a specific proportion of new homes to be built to accessible and adaptable standards.

Kit Malthouse: The Government has not made a recent estimate but estimates were included in the impact assessment published when the Optional Building regulations’ standard for accessible housing, including wheelchair accessible housing, was introduced in 2015.

Housing: Construction

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of wheelchair accessible homes be built by 2030.

Kit Malthouse: The Government has not made a recent estimate but estimates were included in the impact assessment published when the Optional Building regulations’ standard for wheelchair accessible housing was introduced in 2015.

Housing: Construction

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of wheelchair accessible housing.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is considering the scope for a review of the access requirements in the Building Regulations which would include provisions relating to wheelchair accessible housing. The National Planning Policy Framework already expects local authorities to put policies in their local plans to promote accessible housing and the Government will shortly be publishing new guidance to support this.

Housing: Construction

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of accessible homes  built for (a) older and (b) disabled people.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely at home. My Department, along with the Department for Health and Social Care, grant funds to deliver new supply of supported and specialised housing for disabled, older and other vulnerable people. Since 2011, we have delivered over 34,000 units of specialist and other supported housing for disabled, older and other vulnerable people.In addition, we have invested more than £2.7 billion into the Disabled Facilities Grant (2012-13 to 2019-20), providing around 280,000 home adaptations by the end of 2018-19.The Government is considering proposals made by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee for a review of Part M of Building Regulations including proposals relating to the provision of accessible housing for older and disabled people. We will shortly publish planning guidance to help local authorities put accessible housing policies in place.We have also revised the National Planning Policy Framework so that local planning authorities are expected to have specific policies that consider the housing needs of older and disabled people.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214560 on Buildings: Insulation, whether the bespoke testing has begun; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement HCWS1533 made on 1 May 2019.

High Rise Flats and Public Buildings: Insulation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the date on which all flammable cladding will have been removed from all tower blocks and public buildings.

Kit Malthouse: The Department does not hold comprehensive data on planned completion dates for the remediation of ACM (Aluminium Composite Material) buildings. The Government has provided £600 million funding to remove unsafe ACM cladding from high rise residential buildings in the social and private sector. This will remove the biggest blocker to progress on remediation in these buildings. However, it is important to recognise remediation work cannot be done overnight, and it must be done properly. The time to complete work varies considerably depending on the factors such as structure, extent of cladding, and existing fire safety systems. For many buildings this is a complex job involving major construction work. We want buildings to be remediated as quickly as possible and we will be closely monitoring the work as it progresses.

Ministry of Defence

Explosives: Waste Disposal

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to her Department's archived document entitled British Isles Explosive Dumping Grounds, what records her Department holds on explosives dumped at the following areas and positions (a) Off the Continental Shelf 48 20 00 N13 40 00 W (b) Beauforts Dyke				54 54 00 N		05 23 00 W (c) Beauforts Dyke				54 54 00 N		05 05 00 W (d) Inner Sound					57 19 00 N		05 51 00 W (e) Isle of May, Firth of Forth			56 10 45 N		02 30 15 W (f) Hurd Deep					49 30 00 N		03 34 00 W (g) St Catherines Deep				50 34 00 N		01 12 00 W (h) East of Orford Ness				52 07 00 N		01 55 00 E (i) East Swin (Kings Channel)			51 47 30 N		01 30 00 E (j) NW of Alderney				49 50 00 N		02 18 00 W (k) NW of Alderney				49 47 00N		02 17 00 W (l) SSW Guernsey				49 18 00 N		02 42 00 W (m) Whitesand Bay (Plymouth)			50 18 45 N		04 16 00 W (n) Milford Haven					51 34 30 N		05 01 00 W (o) Milford Haven					51 38 00 N		05 20 00W (p) Milford Haven					51 43 30 N		05 33 45 W (q) Beauforts Dyke				54 45 00 N		05 15 00W (r) Sound of Mull					56 30 00 N		05 37 00 W (s) Isle of May (Firth of Forth)			56 11 24 N		02 29 00 W (t) East of Aberdeen				57 09 00 N		01 58 30 W (u) Loch Linnhe					56 30 00 N		05 37 00 W.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to her Department's archived document entitled British Isles Explosive Dumping Grounds, what records her Department holds on chemical weapons dumped on the following dates and at the following areas and positions (a) 02.07.45, Lat 58 00.9 N, Lon 11 00.0 W, Empire Fal, 2000M, (b) 11.09.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Empire Simba, 2500M, (c) 01.10.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Empire Cormorant, 2500M, (d) 30.10.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Wairuna, 2500M, (e) 30.12.45, Lat 55 30.00 N, Lon 11 00.00 W, Botlea, 2500M, (f) 25.08.46, Lat 47 57.00 N, Lon 08 33.24 W, Empire Peacock, 700-800M, (g) 03.09.46, Lat 48 03.00 N, Lon 08 09.00 W, Empire Nutfield, 500M, (h) 01.10.46, Lat 47 54.00 N, Lon 08 21.00 W, Kindersley, 1000M, (i) 02.11.46, Lat 59 00.00 N, Lon 07 40.00 W, Empire Woodlark, 800M, (j) 11.11.46, Lat 48 00.00 N, Lon 08 21.00 W, Lanark, 800-900M, (k) 05.02.47, Lat 47 40.00 N, Dora Oldendorf, 3500-4000M, (l) 27.07.47, Lat 47 55.00 N, Lon 08 17.00 W, Empire Lark, 750-800M, (m) 09.08.47, Lat 56 22.00 N, Lon 09 27.00 W, Leighton, 1300M, (n) 08.09.47, Lat 47 47.30 N, Lon 08 21.00 W, Thorpe Bay, 1500M, (o) 03.11.47, Lat 47 36.00 N, Lon 09 31.00 W, Margo, 4100M, (p) 01.03.48, Lat 47 55.00 N, Lon 08 58.00 W, Harm Freitzen, 2500M, (q) 22.08.48, Lat 47 16.30 N, Lon 09 24.00 W, Empire Success, 4200M, (r) 22.09.48, Lat 47 23.00 N, Lon 09 24.00 W, Miervaldis, 4000M, (s) 20.06.49, Lat 47 52.00 N, Lon 08 51.00 W, Empire Connyngham, 2000M, (t) 27.07.55, Lat 56 30.00 N, Lon 12 00.00 W, Empire Claire, 2500M, (u) 30.05.56, Lat 56 30.00 N, Lon 12 00.00 W, Vogtland, 2500M, (v) 23.07.56, Lat 56 31.00 N, Lon 12 05.00 W, Krotka, 2500M, (w) ??.06.56, Lat 56 00 N, Lon 10 00 W, UNKNOWN, 2000M and (x) ??.06-09.56, Lat 56 00 N, UNKNOWN, 2000M.

Stuart Andrew: The last at-sea disposal of explosives on the UK continental shelf took place in 1976. The last disposals of chemical weapons off the continental shelf took place in 1957 while disposals of munitions off the continental shelf ended in 1992. Information relating to events prior to 1989 has been destroyed or transferred to the National Archives in accordance with the Public Records Act. No information relating to later events is known to be held in Ministry of Defence archives. No central record exists of such information and to search for any previously unidentified information would incur a disproportionate cost.

Marines: Persian Gulf

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether her Department plans to send a Royal Marines task group to the (a) Persian Gulf and (b) the Strait of Hormuz to protect British commercial vessels.

Mark Lancaster: We have a permanent presence in the Gulf in support of the strong bilateral relations across the region and the UK National Strategy for Maritime Security.We have no plans to send a Royal Marines task group but will continue with the existing exercise programme and deployment of Short Term Training Teams.

Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 57728 on Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel, what information his Department holds on the derivation of steel and steel products procured by his Department in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a central record of the origin of all steel used in defence equipment projects. This is because steel for our major programmes is mainly sourced by our prime contractors and the supply chains are complex.The MOD does, however, collate some information about the origin of steel for projects with the largest steel requirements. This information can be found within the 'compliance with the steel procurement guidance' document at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/steel-public-procurementThe data was first published in January 2019 on GOV.UK and will be published annually in future.

Veterans: Prosthetics

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of recent reports that veterans participating in the osseointegration surgical pilot are not able to access treatment at DMRC Stanford Hall for rehabilitation purposes; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No veterans participating in the osseointegration surgical pilot, that was announced by the Government in November 2015, have been refused rehabilitation treatment at Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall.

Veterans: Prosthetics

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans participating in the osseointegration surgical pilot have received treatment at DMRC Stanford Hall since that establishment opened; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Stanford Hall opened in autumn 2018 fewer than five veterans have either received in-patient or out-patient rehabilitation following their osseointegration procedure.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimates he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of uprating state pensions for pensioners who live overseas.

Guy Opperman: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 23 May 2019.The correct answer should have been:

All political parties since WW2 have Successive post-war Governments have followed the same policy. Up-rating UK State Pensions for recipients who are overseas residents is longstanding; state Pensions are payable worldwide and are up-rated where there is a legal requirement to do so. The policy on the up-rating of UK State Pensions paid to recipients living outside the UK has been in place for over 70 years. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide without regard to nationality. Entitlement to the UK State Pension is based on the national insurance contributions on a person’s national insurance record. The annual index-linked increases to UK State Pensions are paid to recipients overseas only where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in EEA countries or in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that provides for the up-rating of the UK State Pension. The Government has no plans to change the policy upheld by all previous Governments, Labour, Coalition and Conservative for the past 70 years. of all Governments, Labour, Coalition or Conservative since WW2. The estimated costs of up-rating state pensions overseas where they are currently not up-rated are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-costs-of-uprating-state-pension-in-frozen-rate-countries

Guy Opperman: All political parties since WW2 have Successive post-war Governments have followed the same policy. Up-rating UK State Pensions for recipients who are overseas residents is longstanding; state Pensions are payable worldwide and are up-rated where there is a legal requirement to do so. The policy on the up-rating of UK State Pensions paid to recipients living outside the UK has been in place for over 70 years. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide without regard to nationality. Entitlement to the UK State Pension is based on the national insurance contributions on a person’s national insurance record. The annual index-linked increases to UK State Pensions are paid to recipients overseas only where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in EEA countries or in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that provides for the up-rating of the UK State Pension. The Government has no plans to change the policy upheld by all previous Governments, Labour, Coalition and Conservative for the past 70 years. of all Governments, Labour, Coalition or Conservative since WW2. The estimated costs of up-rating state pensions overseas where they are currently not up-rated are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-costs-of-uprating-state-pension-in-frozen-rate-countries

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on advertising the state pension age increase for women.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold a detailed record of the cost of advertising changes to men and women’s State Pension age since the passage of the Pensions Act 1995. The Department has previously provided information to the House of Commons in a multitude of ways that clearly demonstrate the extensive steps the Department of Social Security and then the Department for Work and Pensions, took to communicate State Pension age changes at a significant cost to those departments.

Department for Work and Pensions: Cardiff

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to help ensure that there are adequate (a) parking facilities and (b) public transport connections for staff working in her Department's offices in Merthyr Tydfil when that office is moved to the hub north of Cardiff.

Will Quince: We plan to move the back of house staff based in Merthyr Tydfil Ty Bethesda into the new office in Treforest between 2021 and 2023. Building work on the new Treforest site began in January 2019 and the building is currently on track and due for completion in the last quarter of 2020. There are plans for 444 car parking spaces, along with space for motorcycle and cycle storage at this site. The development of the South Wales Metro continues and discussions are ongoing between DWP and Transport for Wales around the relocation of Trefforest Estate station closer to the new office. Before any moves take place, staff will have the opportunity for a formal one-to-one discussion with their line managers about how the move will impact them. This helps to assess any travel impacts of the change of location. We anticipate that these formal discussions will take place approximately nine months in advance of any moves.

Personal Income: Sheffield

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will take steps to monitor the roll out of a universal basic income pilot by Sheffield City Council; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: We are aware of experiments in universal basic income (UBI) around the world and we do not believe there is a case for UBI. We believe Universal Credit is the right approach for the UK because it simplifies the benefit system, promotes and incentivises work, including progression in work, and provides targeted support to those in most need in a way that is affordable. In February 2018 the OECD concluded in its survey of the Finnish Economy that the complexity of the current benefits system in Finland was an obstacle to stepping into work and that the basic income experiment, whilst possibly enhancing work incentives, may increase poverty and would require increasing income taxation by nearly 30%. More recently, findings from the evaluation of the Finnish basic income experiment show some improvement in perceived wellbeing, but that it did not increase the employment level of the participants in the first year of the experiment. The OECD also developed a scenario for Finland inspired by the UK’s Universal Credit (UC). They found that this ‘would consistently improve work incentives and reduce complexity, with limited changes to the income distribution and limited fiscal cost. This OECD blog post is particularly useful on the OECD’s work to compare UBI and UC.

Universal Credit: Payment Methods

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of universal credit received payments into a Post Office Card Account in each of the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: The Department’s standard method of payment for pensions and benefits is into a bank, building society or credit union account. For claimants who cannot open one of these accounts, or provide the details for their own account to access their payment, the Department can offer two alternatives: The Post Office Card Account and HM Government Payment Exception Service, both of which guarantee access to their payment of pension and or benefit. The Department has been contacting claimants using Post Office Card Accounts since September 2015 offering information to claimants to move to standard payment methods. As a claimant may receive more than one payment of Universal Credit in each month, we have supplied the total volume of Universal Credit payments made into Post Office Card Accounts in each of the last 12 months in the table below. Increasing volumes of Universal Credit payments into these types of account reflect those naturally migrating from legacy benefits and taking their payment method with them. MonthPayments MadeJune 201810,322July 20189,699August 201810,686September 201810,494October 201810,302November 201812,160December 201812,649January 201912,571February 201913,807March 201914,209April 201914,377May 201915,724

Carers: Re-employment

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to single adult carers of adult dependants to re-enter work.

Justin Tomlinson: Jobcentre Plus work coaches offer all claimants, including carers, a comprehensive menu of help, including skills provision and job search support, including individual support packages to help people into work. Support and coaching is personalised to the individual so that it works best for them.For example, Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches utilise packages of support such as New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) for those considering self-employment and funding from the Flexible Support Fund to help individuals overcome their barriers to enter employment. In addition, support is available via the National Careers Service in England, co-located in around 90% of Jobcentres and available online. This includes a Skills Health Check designed to help users explore their skills and interests to help identify the right job. In Scotland a broader offer is made via My World of Work.

Personal Independence Payment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time to carry out a mandatory reconsideration for personal independence payments is in each administrative area.

Justin Tomlinson: Statistics on the average clearance time for Mandatory Reconsiderations for Personal Independence Payment broken down by local authority are found in Table 7D, ‘MR Clearance Time (median calendar days), Normal Rules, by year of clearance, region and Local Authority’ of the quarterly statistical publication ‘Personal Independence Payment: April 2013 to April 2019’ published by the Department for Work and Pensions and available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-april-2019

Personal Independence Payment: County Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff have been tasked with conducting mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments in County Durham in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to determine performance-related awards for officials in her Department.

Will Quince: End year performance awards are a key element of the Department for Work and Pension’s reward strategy, supporting performance improvement, employee engagement and delivery of key business objectives. These awards are based on employees’ annual performance ratings, which are scored against their overall achievement of objectives, and the behaviours demonstrated during the performance year. The level of award will vary according to a range of factors including grade and performance rating achieved. As with all government departments Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in DWP are managed under Cabinet Office policy. Performance related pay awards for this cohort are restricted to top performers only with around 25% of employees falling into this category. Performance ratings are based on delivery against key objectives, effective leadership skills, and demonstration of Civil Service behaviours and values. The DWP, in common with most other government departments, also operates an in-year Recognition and Reward scheme which is available all year round and consists of one off non-consolidated cash or voucher awards. Employees are encouraged to recognise individuals and teams for their exceptional contributions in areas such as giving a particularly high level of customer service or demonstrating outstanding teamwork.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department spent on performance-related awards for officials in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017, (e) 2018 and (f) January 2019 to June 2019.

Will Quince: The periods covered are pay remit years which run from July to June, figures up to 2017/18 are actual and 2018/19 is forecast as this reporting year will not conclude until end June 2019. The figures provided include expenditure on all DWP performance related awards including; End of year performance awards to delegated grades, SCS Performance Related Payments, Recognition scheme. 2013/14 - £49.635,000, Average Payment by headcount - £5052014/15 - £46,277,000, Average Payment by headcount - £5132015/16 - £43,056,000, Average Payment by headcount - £5102016/17 - £39,435,000, Average Payment by headcount - £4732017/18 - £42,341,000, Average Payment by headcount - £5092018/19 - £22,854,000 – Payments will be agreed as part of 2019 pay negotiations pending. We have over 82,000 employees in DWP, approximately 94% are in our most junior grades receiving an annual salary between £18,745 for an AA Grade and £37,262 for an HEO Grade based in Inner London.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2019 to Question 263062 on Universal Credit: Overpayments, if she will place in the Library an estimate of the costs of answering that Question.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions follows guidance from Cabinet Office in setting the Disproportionate Cost Threshold. The current Disproportionate Cost Threshold across Government is set at £850. All waiver documents are stored clerically. We have estimated that reviewing the remaining waiver documents to ascertain how many related to Universal Credit overpayments would take around 51 hours of staff time and therefore would breach the cost limit of £850.

Universal Credit: Overpayments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257458 on Universal Credit: Overpayments, how many overpayments were waived in (a) full and (b) part as a result of applications made by (i) claimants and (ii) their representatives in 2017-18.

Alok Sharma: In 2017/18 there were fewer than 5 successful applications for the full waiving of a Universal Credit overpayment, and fewer than 5 successful partial waiver applications for UC overpayments. The Department has an obligation to ensure that public funds are administered responsibly and to abide by the principles set out in Her Majesty’s Treasury’s guidance on Managing Public Money (which can be found on gov.uk). Waivers are only granted in limited circumstances including where the recovery of an overpayment is causing substantial financial and/or medical hardship and clear supporting evidence of this is provided. We are unable to provide a breakdown of how many applications were made by claimants or their representatives as this information is not stored. *The figures provided in this response have been sourced from internal management information and were not intended for public release. They should therefore not be compared to any other figures subsequently released by the Department. We are not able to report exact figures that are lower than 5, therefore this have been listed as “fewer than 5”.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Solid Fuels: Heating

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood in England, if he will deposit in the Library copies of all reports and datasets his Department is aware of on non PM2.5 toxic pollutants released when burning (a) smokeless briquettes, (b) wet wood, (c) dried wood and (d) house coal on open domestic fires; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what analysis his Department has conducted on the effect on solid fuel prices of house coal being banned; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Any publicly available resources we have used to inform our analysis of the proposals in the consultation will be made available with the Government response. Various respondents to the consultation on cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood sent in their own price analyses of fuels. These note that there are price differentials associated with volumes purchased, and seasonality as well as between differing locations across England. Research has been undertaken based on these responses along with further analysis of advertised retail prices to assess the effect of the proposals in the consultation.

Birds: Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect offshore foraging areas for cliff nesting seabirds.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is committed to implementing the Food and Agriculture Organisation Plan of Action on Seabird Bycatch, and is working closely with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and a wide group of stakeholders including environmental groups and the fishing industry to progress the UK’s own national Plan of Action. This will protect offshore foraging areas for cliff-nesting seabirds, by mitigating bycatch in places where they are most at risk. In addition, we have designated 47 Special Protection Areas in English waters for seabirds covering 13,000km2 in our inshore waters that protect nesting sites and nearby foraging areas.

Agriculture: Tree Planting

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to provide additional support for farmers in England to plant trees.

David Rutley: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government remains committed to planting 11 million trees in this Parliament, 2017 to 2022. Woodland creation is a key activity of our 25 Year Environment Plan. The Government already provides a range of support to landowners to plant trees through Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund and the HS2 Woodland Fund. These are open to new applications from farmers and landowners who can meet the criteria for funding. In the Autumn Budget the Government announced an additional £60 million for tree planting initiatives, comprising £10 million to fund urban tree planting and £50 million for a Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme. This is in addition to the Government’s kick start investment in the Northern Forest, and establishment of the Forestry Investment Zone (FIZ) pilot in northeast Cumbria.

Eels: Smuggling

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional steps he plans to take to tackle the illegal trade in eels and elvers.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government takes the issue of illegal trade in eels very seriously and is keen to ensure that at all stages of development – glass eel, elver, or mature eel - they are appropriately protected. The glass eel fishery in England is highly regulated, and we remain confident we have a good traceability of the catch from the riverbank to the point of export. All known exports of catch from the UK glass eel fishery in recent years have been destined for the known legal market in the EU for restocking and aquaculture. Moreover, the UK continues to contribute to and support Operation Lake – Europol’s operation to tackle illegal eel trafficking across international borders. We work closely with our European and other international partners in a number of international fora, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to ensure we are taking strong and effective measures to deter any illegal trade.

Dogs: Steroid Drugs

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure continuity of supply for steroid treatments for dogs in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: The Government recognises the importance of veterinary medicines in ensuring animal health and welfare in the UK. The Government is working with the animal medicines industry to ensure that supplies of veterinary medicines remain available in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Air Pollution: Schools

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on planting (a) grass, (b) trees and (c) plants in schools to help tackle air pollution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministers across Government Departments about air pollution and how to reduce it. There remains a significant debate among experts about the efficacy of vegetation in reducing air pollution. Defra’s Air Quality Expert Group conclude that overall, vegetation and trees in particular are regarded as beneficial for the environment but they are not a solution to air quality problems in our cities and towns. The Government is giving priority to action on the multiple sources of pollutants, delivered through the Clean Air Strategy.

Home Office

Iran: Entry Clearances

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision there is for entry clearance for visitors from Iran in that country.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to change the capacity of facilities in Iran for entry clearance to the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The provision for entry clearance for visitors from Iran is the same as for all countries whose nationals require a UK visit visa; individuals must submit a visit visa application, if the application meets the requirements of the Immigration Rules a visa will be issued.In addition to the visa application centre in Tehran, individuals living in Iran wishing to apply for long term visas can submit their application in Turkey or the United Arab Emirates. An application for a UK visit visa can be submitted at any UK Visa Application Centre in the world. The UK keeps its visa system, including the capacity of facilities for submitting entry clearance applications, under regular review.

Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many digital forensic laboratories are accredited by UK Accreditation Services.

Mr Nick Hurd: The number of digital forensics laboratories accredited by UKAS can be accessed through the website of the UKAS:https://www.ukas.com/browse-accredited-organisations/?org_cat=4938&parent=&type_id=2

Police: Liverpool City Region

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers and (b) full-time equivalent police officers there were in each local authority area in the Liverpool City Region in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers, by Police Force Area, as part of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.Data on the number of officers, by headcount and by full-time equivalents, in Merseyside, and in England and Wales, going back to March 2007, can be found in the Open Data Tables published alongside the release:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.odsData at lower levels of geography are not held centrally.The next release of ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ is scheduled on Thursday 18 July 2019, and will cover the situation as at 31 March 2019.

Stop and Search: Liverpool City Region

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many stop and searches were carried out in each local authority area within the Liverpool City Region in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of stop and searches conducted by each police force in England and Wales. The Home Office collects these data at Police Force Area level only and does not hold this information at the level of the Liverpool City Region.Data on stop and searches are published in the ‘Police Powers and Proce-dures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, and data for the year ending March 2018 can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2018Data for the year ending March 2019 are due to be published in October 2019.

Right of Abode: Veterans

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2018 to Question 186245 on Right of Abode: Veterans, when his Department plans to announce a decision on granting right of abode to former British-Hong Kong servicemen.

Caroline Nokes: Under the British Nationality Selection Scheme introduced in 1990, a limited number of Hong Kong Military Service Corps personnel who were settled in Hong Kong could apply to register as a British citizen. The Scheme ran until 1 July 1997.The Home Secretary has met with Andrew Rosindell MP and a delegation of former Hong Kong Military Service Corps (HKMSC) personnel and listened to their representations. This is a complex matter to which we are giving careful consideration.

Extradition: USA

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261104 on Extradition: USA, how many UK citizens that have been arrested following extradition requests from the US were extradited to that country in each year since 2014.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261104 on Extradition: USA, if he will publish the year in which those UK citizens were arrested in connection with a US arrest warrant in each year since 2014.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261104 on Extradition: USA, if he will publish the offence for which those people were arrested following an extradition from the US.

Mr Nick Hurd: The following table provides the information requested: YearArrestsOffences for which those arrests took placeExtraditions to the US (please note these may relate to arrests that took place in a different year)2014---20152Distribution of child pornography Large-scale financial fraud-20164Parental child abduction 14 counts of grand larceny (property theft) and conspiracy to defraud Causing death by dangerous driving Fraud420172Murder Fraud220181Conspiracy to participate in an organised crime group22019--1All figures are from local management information, and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. The figures do not include Scotland, which deals with its own extradition cases.

Counter-terrorism

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish the timetable for the independent review of the Prevent programme.

Mr Ben Wallace: Work is underway to appoint the Independent Reviewer of the Prevent Strategy, define the Terms of Reference for the Review, and to recruit a secretariat to support this work. The House will be informed of the arrangements for the Review, including the Reviewer and the Terms of Reference, by 12 August 2019, as required by the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. The final report, recommendations and the Government response are due by August 2020.

Deportation: Sudan

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the guidelines for people facing deportation to Sudan have changed as a result of the current unrest in that country.

Caroline Nokes: We are monitoring the changing situation in Sudan and have issued a number of information updates to the business to ensure decision makers our informed of the unrest and potential its impact on persons returning to the country.However, our position remains that where a Sudanese national is not able to demonstrate a protection need or that they have any other right to remain in the UK to us and, if they exercise an appeal right, the courts, we expect them to leave voluntarily. If they do not elect to do so, we may enforce their removal when it is safe to do so, on a case by case basis.Our current assessment of risk by Sudanese nationals who claim protection in the UK is set out in our country policy and information notes published on gov.uk.

Visas: Applications

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases his Department has deemed a (a) visa and (b) settlement application to be invalid while the applicant is waiting for an appointment with UK visa and citizenship application services..

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases a refugee's application for settlement has been classified as invalid following missing the deadline for enrolling biometric data, as a result of delays getting an appointment with UK visa and citizenship application services.

Caroline Nokes: UKVI does not routinely deem visa or settlement applications to be invalid while the applicant is waiting for an appointment with UKVCAS. However, where an applicant has failed to book an appointment with UKVCAS, several months after submitting their application and having been sent multiple reminders, on these occasions the application may be deemed to be invalid.Refugee applications for settlement are not dealt with through the UKVCAS process.

Slavery: Victim Support Schemes

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timeframe is for the introduction of the new victim care contract to support to victims of modern slavery under the National Referral Mechanism; and if publish that contract.

Victoria Atkins: We intend to issue an invitation to tender for a new contract to provide support services to adult victims of modern slavery in the autumn of this year. This will be advertised both on the Government’s Contracts Finder website and the Official Journal of the European Union. We will publish the resulting contract on Contracts Finder, in accordance with legislation and policy pertaining to the publication of procurement information.

Offences against Children: Rochdale

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take urgent steps to deport non-UK nationals who have completed custodial sentences for the grooming of young people in Rochdale.

Caroline Nokes: I am aware of the cases referred to, but I am unable to comment on individual cases.The crimes committed by child sexual exploitation gangs who prey on the young and vulnerable are appalling. I have every sympathy with their victims. Once we are in a position to do so, we will also be in contact with the victims to provide them with an update.This Government puts the rights of the British public before those of criminals, and we are clear that foreign criminals should be deported from the UK wherever it is legal and practical to do so.

Visas

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times his Department has informed a visa applicant of an incorrect right to work status (a) in person, (b) in writing and (c) through correspondence with the applicant's (i) lawyer and (ii) Member of Parliament.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not available as this is not held in a reportable format.

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is to process Surinder Singh applications, and how that compares with other types of applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme since that scheme's inception.

Caroline Nokes: Current processing times for applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has not been subject to an intervention by the UK Statistics Authority in the timeframe described. Details of any such interventions are published in the correspondence, publications, and issues log sections of the Authority’s website. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website.

Scotland Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not have its own Departmental Chief Scientific Adviser. Ministers of the Department regularly meet with a wide range of officials across Whitehall on a variety of issues.

Cabinet Office

Infant Mortality

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the child infant mortality rate in each National Statistics socio-economic classification category in each of the last 10 years.

Kevin Foster: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 29 April 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.reply and a table has been placed in the Library.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 138.55 KB)




UKSA Response - Table 1
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36.39 KB)

Kevin Foster: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.reply and a table has been placed in the Library.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 138.55 KB)




UKSA Response - Table 1
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36.39 KB)

Absent Voting: Fraud

Alex Chalk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to prevent postal vote electoral fraud.

Kevin Foster: Electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level. There are already measures in place designed to enhance the security of postal voting. In response to the Pickles report on electoral fraud, the Government accepted recommendations to strengthen the postal vote system and, in line with our manifesto commitment, we are working to reform postal voting to ensure our elections are secure. Cabinet Office coordinates cross-Government work to protect and secure our democratic processes and ensure those involved in delivering our elections receive cyber, physical and personnel security advice from experts at the National Cyber Security Centre and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure.

Absent Voting

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard the electoral process in respect of postal voting.

Kevin Foster: Electoral Fraud is unacceptable on any level. We have processes in place to defend against electoral fraud and there is ongoing work with electoral administrators and Royal Mail to implement these. In response to the Pickles report on electoral fraud, the Government accepted recommendations to strengthen the postal vote system and, in line with our manifesto commitment, we are working to reform postal voting to ensure our elections are secure. Cabinet Office coordinates cross-Government work to protect and secure our democratic processes and ensure those involved in delivering our elections receive cyber, physical and personnel security advice from experts at the National Cyber Security Centre and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure.

Rendition and Torture

Ian Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including in the Consolidated Guidance on rendition and torture the removal of persons to other countries without judicial supervision for purposes such as interrogation or detention.

Mr David Lidington: Sir Adrian Fulford, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, has submitted a proposedrevised version of the Consolidated Guidance to the Government for considerationThe Government is looking carefully at his proposals and will respond in due course.

VE Day: Anniversaries

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Minister has considered the potential implications for the delivery of scheduled Police and Crime Commissioner, London Mayoral and Assembly, Combined Authority Mayoral and local government elections and vote counting across the UK on 7 May 2020 of the decision to move the Early May Bank Holiday in 2020 from Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day; and what steps he is taking to ensure Returning Officers and their staff are supported to discharge their duties for those elections.

Kevin Foster: The Government believes it is fitting to give the whole nation a chance to commemorate thesacrifices made during the Second World War, to secure the democratic freedoms we enjoy todayThis will be done by moving the early May Bank Holiday from 4 to 8 May, the 75 th Anniversary ofVictory in Europe (VE) DayOn this historic occasion the Government wants to ensure as many people as possible have thevaluable opportunity to pay a fitting tribute to our remaining heroes of the Second World War. Theday will also serve as an occasion thank all members of the Armed Forces Family who haveserved and who continue to serve our country.We recognise there will be implications for the counting of votes in some of the Police and CrimeCommissioner, London Mayoral and Assembly, combined authority mayoral, local mayoral andlocal government elections which will have taken place the day before the VE Day bank holiday in2020. We are continuing to discuss these practical implications with local authorities and electoraladministrators.

European Parliament: Elections

Afzal Khan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2019 to Question 260725 on European Parliament: Elections, which local authorities and electoral administrators he or his ministers have met with since the 2019 EU parliamentary elections; and whether the matter of EU citizens being prevented from voting in the 2019 European Parliament elections was discussed at any of those meetings.

Kevin Foster: Ministers and officials meet frequently with local authorities and electoral administrators to discussa wide range of electoral issuesDetails of external meetings by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are published quarterly andare available on gov.uk.

Treasury

Nutrition: Taxation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has under assessment for the implementation of a tax on unhealthy food.

Robert Jenrick: The Government has no plans to implement a tax on unhealthy food.

Treasury: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

John Glen: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website and have been since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website[4]. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn. [1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Credit: Interest Rates

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps his Department has taken to assist customers of payday loan companies that have gone into insolvency.

John Glen: The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014. Any outstanding complaints against payday loan companies that enter into insolvency are dealt with directly by the administrators of the companies in question. Customers should continue to make any outstanding payments as instructed by the administrators. The FCA has issued advice to customers of such companies, and the administrators are required by law to contact all known creditors to provide them with their proposals for administration.

Financial Conduct Authority

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what instructions he has issued to the Financial Conduct Authority to obtain confidential information on investors and their financial positions.

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Financial Conduct Authority's requirement for investment management firms to obtain confidential financial information on their clients on compliance with (a) privacy (b) human rights regulations.

John Glen: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is operationally independent from government and their remit is set by parliament. The FCA has an objective set out in legislation to ensure the relevant markets work well. It expects firms to understand their customers both for anti-money laundering (AML) purposes and to ensure the provision of the appropriate services.

British Steel: Loans

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the £120 million Government loan to British Steel in May 2019 on that company's viability; and what assessment he has made of the role of Greybull Capital in that company's insolvency.

Elizabeth Truss: As the Secretary of State for BEIS set out in his statement to the House on 1 May, the government entered into a commercial agreement with British Steel on 23 April, which provided a short term bridge facility valued at around £120 million. This ensured the company met its obligations under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for the 2018 scheme year. Following the recent insolvency of British Steel, the government has indemnified the Official Receive to carry out its statutory duties as liquidator. The Official Receiver is required by law to investigate the reasons for the failure of any company that enters compulsory liquidation.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,  when the Border Delivery Group last met with representatives of (a) ports and (b) airports in Northern Ireland.

Jesse Norman: The Border Delivery Group runs a Northern Ireland Borders Steering Group, which includes representatives from ports and airports in Northern Ireland. The most recent Border Delivery Group engagement with this group was on 15 March 2019. The next Steering Group meeting is planned for early September.

Credit Unions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the introduction of an automated loans and decision programme for credit unions to support the modernisation process of those unions.

John Glen: The Department for Work and Pensions’ Credit Union Expansion Project delivered an Automated Loans and Decision tool (ALD) which has been used by over 70 credit unions. The ALD has allowed credit unions to achieve up to 40% administrative savings on delivering loans and reduce provision for unpaid debt by over £1 million. There are also third party suppliers who offer these services on a commercial basis. The government remains committed to supporting credit unions, which provide vital services to financially under-served communities and contribute to the diversity of the UK’s financial services sector. At Autumn Budget 2018 the Chancellor announced a new £2 million challenge fund to promote innovative technological solutions from the UK’s Fintech sector to address challenges faced by social and community lenders, including credit unions. This will help support the continued development and modernisation of the credit union sector.

Help to Save Scheme

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people enrolled in a (a) help to save and (b) maximum help to save savings scheme in the first six months of the scheme's introduction.

John Glen: Details of the number of people who opened a Help to Save account between 12 September 2018, when the scheme was introduced, and the end of January 2019 can be found at Table 1 of HMRC’s Help to Save Official Statistics, which were published on 28 February 2019[1]. This also includes those people who opened their Help to Save accounts during the trial of the scheme which began in January 2018.Table 2 of these statistics shows the average monthly payment and the percentage of deposits that are the maximum of £50 per month.The next publication of the Help to Save Official Statistics will be in August this year. [1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/781891/Help_to_Save_Statistics_February_2019.pdf

Private Finance Initiative

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value of PFI contracts in operation by region.

Robert Jenrick: The value of PFI contracts in operation by region can be found in the PFI and PF2 summary data published annually by HM Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. The latest publication can be found at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2018-summary-data.

Customs

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of firms have signed up to the no-deal customs facilitation scheme.

Jesse Norman: Listening to concerns from business, HMRC is introducing temporary easements for a ‘no deal’ scenario including Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP). Once registered for TSP, traders will be able to import goods from the EU into the UK without having to make a full customs declaration at the border and will be able to postpone paying any duties. As of 9 June 2019, 17,900 businesses have applied for TSP. It is for businesses to decide whether TSP is right for them.

Customs

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of offices of transit that will be required for full customs formalities in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal on the 31 of October 2019.

Jesse Norman: The UK has been invited to accede to the Common Transit Convention (CTC) as a contracting party when it leaves the EU. If the UK is outside the EU customs union it will have to carry out the office of transit function on transit movements entering the UK from the EU and other countries. Many existing UK ports and airports have existing facilities for transit movements, including carrying out the office of transit function. These offices will continue to operate, and HMRC and Border Force are working to ensure they will be able to meet the increased demand that will result from EU exit. At three high volume locations the UK has agreed a different arrangement with the other parties to the CTC. Under this agreement the office of transit function will not be a physical location, but will be carried out digitally.

Customs

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of forms hauliers travelling from the UK to the EU would be required to submit daily to maintain current levels of trade with the EU in the event of full customs formalities at the border if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Jesse Norman: It will be for exporters to the EU, rather than hauliers moving the goods, to submit export declarations and any associated documentation to HMG. However, to ensure that the goods are being legally exported, hauliers will need to check with the trader that the goods have received ‘permission to progress’ to the port from HMRC before taking them across the border. Hauliers should check with the relevant EU Member State to find out what forms are required to import into the EU.

Carer's Allowance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, why recipients of carer's allowance with adult dependants are not eligible for (a) child tax credits and (b) working tax credits; and if he will review his policy.

Elizabeth Truss: Carer’s Allowance is a taxable benefit, paid to an eligible individual looking after someone with substantial caring needs. Persons in receipt of Carer’s Allowance are not excluded from either Child Tax Credit (CTC) or Working Tax Credit (WTC) provided they meet the usual conditions of entitlement for tax credits.

Solar Power: VAT

Marion Fellows: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposals to increase VAT on solar panels by 20 per cent of the affordability by households of solar technology.

Jesse Norman: Under EU law the Government is required to make changes to the reduced rate of VAT for the installation of certain energy saving materials. The changes have been made to comply with European VAT rules while maintaining as much of the relief as possible. The VAT treatment of the majority of solar panel installations is expected to be unaffected by the changes.

Public Sector: Procurement

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee of 4 June 2019, what selection process will be used by his Department to identify the (a) delivery experts and (b) panel of economist that will provide advice in relation to the zero-based review of capital; and if will he publish the investment appraisal technique that will be used to compare projects as part of that review.

Elizabeth Truss: The Treasury will conduct a zero-based review of capital at the next Spending Review. It will include an assessment panel of Chief Economists from across government departments, who will provide technical assistance and expertise to Treasury officials scrutinising capital spending bids. These top economists will bring significant experience and expertise in appraising investment in many different sectors, covering economic and social infrastructure. Investment appraisal will be conducted in line with the Treasury’s Green Book which is published online. The panel will also draw on the IPA, and functional expertise built up since 2015. The assessment panel will be formed ahead of the Spending Review.

Members: Correspondence

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich of 7 March 2019 on the effect of public sector pensions schemes on Ravensbourne University London.

Elizabeth Truss: I replied to the hon. Member on 21 March and a copy has been sent by email.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Parks: Greater London

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria his Department uses to determine whether land in London parks for which his Department is the registered owner can be transferred to other public bodies to be devoted permanently to uses other than public open space; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Consideration of transfers of land in London parks for which DCMS is the registered owner would be undertaken on a case by case basis, and there are no specified criteria under which such a request may be made.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Margot James: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website[4]. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn. [1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Margot James: The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has met with the department's Chief Scientific Adviser on four separate occasions between March and May this year.

Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Location

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reason the Authority did not consider locations for its offices outside London and the South-East.

Mr Charles Walker: Holding answer received on 18 June 2019



When moving offices, IPSA considered locations only in London and the South East, as evidence from other public bodies shows that organisations that relocate by a significant distance tend to lose more staff. IPSA is a small organisation and wished to retain its staff in order to continue uninterrupted its support to MPs, including regular meetings between them and their IPSA account managers, and its assurance to the public about MPs’ spending.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Offices

John Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority,  pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257645 on Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Buildings, which organisation's commercial interests would be prejudiced; and in what manner by disclosing the size of IPSA's office and the rate paid per metre.

Mr Charles Walker: Holding answer received on 18 June 2019



It is common practice for landlords to prohibit the publication of commercial agreements reached with their tenants. This is the case regarding the lease signed by IPSA and its landlord. IPSA is nonetheless a public body accountable to Parliament and its accounts are audited by the National Audit Office and scrutinised by the Speaker’s Committee for the IPSA in order to provide assurance that value for money has been obtained. The Speaker’s Committee is scheduled to meet in July 2019 to discuss IPSA’s finances and other matters.

Members: Allowances

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the system for reimbursing MPs expenses; and if IPSA will make it its policy to reinstate the previous system for the reimbursement of expenses.

Mr Charles Walker: Holding answer received on 18 June 2019



IPSA considered a range of options for its new system of reimbursing MPs’ business costs and expenses. The system selected is more integrated and efficient than its predecessor systems, and holds the personal data of MPs and their staff more securely. The software selected is widely used in the United Kingdom, including in many public bodies. Prior to its launch in April, the effectiveness of the system was thoroughly tested, including by MPs and their staff. Its benefits include: - A ‘single sign-on’ capability to allow MPs and their staff to access the system directly through their secure parliamentary account without an additional logon.- MPs and staff no longer need to send paper receipts and invoices to IPSA, but can scan or photograph them and upload them digitally onto the system. This improves data security and means that IPSA can process and reimburse claims more quickly.- MPs’ staff members can now be reimbursed directly by IPSA for their own expenses rather than via their MPs.- MPs and their staff are now able to amend their personal details, including any change of name or address, on the new system themselves, without needing to submit a form to IPSA.- The new system allows claims from different budgets to be submitted on the same form, rather than having to submit multiple forms.- MPs and their staff have constant access to financial information about the amounts left in their budgets and the status of any repayments or amounts owed, rather than waiting a monthly financial statement from IPSA. As of 13 June, 612 MPs have successfully submitted claims on the new system. IPSA is committed to supporting and training MPs and their staff as they become accustomed to the new online claims system. IPSA does not intend to make it its policy to reinstate the previous system.

Members: Email

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what estimate he has made of the number of emails from hon. Members sent to IPSA in June 2019 that have not received a response within three days; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Charles Walker: Holding answer received on 18 June 2019



IPSA has a key performance target to respond to 90 per cent of emails within five working days. Between 1 June and 13 June, IPSA responded to 88 per cent of the 563 emails received within this target. IPSA has recently brought in five temporary staff to help improve its response times following the introduction of a new finance, payroll and expenses system in April 2019.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority: Working Hours

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what steps he is taking to help ensure that IPSA has sufficient resources to extend its working hours so that (a) telephone calls can be answered during the hours the House sits and (b) responses can be given to emails from MPs within three to five working days.

Mr Charles Walker: Holding answer received on 18 June 2019



IPSA’s December 2018 user survey found that 68 per cent of MPs and their staff were satisfied with the support that they receive from IPSA on the phone, up from 53 per cent in 2017. Since the introduction of its new online finance and expenses system in April 2019, IPSA has experienced a higher-than-normal volume of calls, with some calls taking up to 45 minutes as MPs and their staff familiarise themselves with the new system. To respond to this increased demand, IPSA has recruited five temporary staff to answer the phone to MPs, and has temporarily closed its phone lines at 4pm in order to respond to the queries raised. IPSA expects to re-open its phone lines until 5pm when this demand subsides.IPSA has a key performance target to respond to 90 per cent of emails within five days. In 2018-19, IPSA responded to over 85 per cent of the 54,500 letters and emails that were received within five working days of receipt. In April 2019, following the introduction on the new system, IPSA only replied to 70 per cent of emails within this target. The additional temporary staff will also address this increased demand.IPSA’s performance is monitored by the Speaker’s Committee for the IPSA which approves IPSA’s budget and targets, including how it responds to MPs’ queries.